The Fire Prince
by ZukoFan15
Summary: Zuko is 12 years old and when a girl named Akira moves to the palace, his life is changed forever. Rated T for some minor language and mild violence.
1. Chapter 1

A servant stepped into the young fire prince's room.

"Prince Zuko! Your father has requested your presence."

"Oh okay… I was just about to write a letter to uncle but I guess that can wait." The twelve year old prince sighed. He followed the servant down the hall to the Firelord's chamber. When they reached the door Zuko's father greeted him with a nod and dismissed the servant. Zuko's sister Azula sat in a chair in the center of the room with a bored expression on her face.

"I have some good news. You and Azula wouldn't remember General Keigo but he met you when you both were very young." The Firelord said in his deep commanding voice.

"Yes, but who is he?" Azula said rolling her eyes with an exasperated sigh.

"Will you shut up and let Dad talk!" Zuko hissed at his sibling.

"As I was saying…" Ozai started, glaring at his two children willing them to be quiet. "Keigo and I are very good friends and when I received the news that he was badly injured in an attack on a rebelling earth colony; I decided that he and his family should move here and allow him recover in peace."

"And we should care why…?" Azula asked.

"Because they have a son that is three years older than Zuko and a daughter that is only two years older than you…"

"You mean Zuko's age."

"Well yes, but that's not the point. My point is I would like you to try and be friends with her, to make her feel more at home. After all, the Fire Nation palace will be a big change from her old home in the Colonies."

"WHAT!?! You want me to associate with some dirty peasant from the Earth Kingdom?!? HA! Not happening!" Azula shouted as she leaped out of her chair and stormed out of the room. Zuko could feel the heat coming from his sister's palms as she past him. Ozai stared after her at first with disbelief that his own daughter would treat him with such disrespect, but it soon turned to a proud and pleased expression.

"I had a feeling that she wouldn't take that very well, but I can tell that she inherited my passion." _Ha! Passion… more like short-tempered with some anger management issues._ Zuko thought to himself. The memories of how frightening his father and sister could be rushed through his mind, reminding him of his mother's always kind words and touch. He blinked the memories away, not wanting to dwell on them. Quickly muttering a goodbye Zuko slipped out the door and down the hall. Halfway down the hallway he noticed burn marks on the walls and the floor. _Wow. She must have been really pissed._ Passing an ancient portrait of one of the past Firelords Zuko noticed a burn mark only inches away from the priceless painting. _That was lucky. Dad would have been angry. Even his perfect daughter couldn't get away with burning a precious painting like that. _Zuko smiled at the fact that his flawless sister could have been so careless. As he walked along, the hallway's walls fell away and he found himself looking out into one of the many courtyards. This one happened to be a training center with all kinds of targets and natural obstacles that were used to teach the many specialty weapon classes. He heard a squeak of joy that could only come from one person, Ty Lee. He soon spotted her standing near Mai and Azula. They were taking turns shooting a target attached to the shot post in the center of the courtyard. Zuko watched as a burst of flame appeared from Azula's palm and burnt the inner circle of the target black. After the target stopped smoking a small yet deadly looking knife came from Mai with a flick of her wrist and stuck in the middle of a blackened target. Ty Lee was jumping around and doing flips shouting,

"Yay Mai! Ha! I made a rhyme! Let's see… Azula doozla! No… that's stupid… Azula… Azula… Oh! Azula Palooza!"

"That's possibly the most retarded thing I have ever heard." Mai said with a bored expression plastered on her face.

"Sorry Ty Lee. But I have to agree… I mean it doesn't even rhyme." Zuko said as he walked up. Mai looked up and Zuko almost swore her eyes sparkled when she saw him.

"Hello Zuzu…" Azula teased.

"Shut up." He growled. Suddenly Ty Lee whacked him on the arm and yelled, "Tag! You're it!"

Every one ran and Zuko only took a second to realize what was going on. A full out game of tag erupted and the four friends played for another hour. Zuko finally collapsed from "exhaustion" after chasing the girls for almost 15 minutes straight.

"What's wrong? Can't keep up?" Mai laughed as she sat down next to him.

"There's… too many… I'm chasing you… then you disappear… and Ty Lee takes your place…" Zuko gasped as he lay on the ground sprawled out with his chest heaving, gasping for air. Mai giggled and gave him a little push.

"You're faking. I can tell."

"Really?"

"Yes… you overdid it. I didn't believe you, even for a second."

"Well then… TAG! YOU'RE IT!" Zuko shouted at the top of his lungs as he jumped up and ran.

"That's not fair! I quit!" Mai yelled after him.

"Prince Zuko! Princess Azula! It is dinner time!" The cook called into the courtyard.

"Coming! Bye Ty Lee. Bye Mai. See you tomorrow." Zuko said as he gave each girl a quick hug. Azula noticed Mai's blush when Zuko hugged her and nudged Ty Lee. Ty Lee looked back with a knowing smile that seemed to create a wordless agreement; they are _so_ going to help Mai with her little crush on Zuko.

Zuko looked out his window into the setting sun. He lit a little flam in his palm and gazed into it. The color was orange but there were many other colors hidden inside the flame as well. He heated it up a bit and the fire started to turn blue in the core and gradually engulfed the bottom of the flame. Zuko heard a noise outside his door and closed his palm immediately extinguishing the small flame. A knock sounded on his door and he opened it to see who had the nerve to disturb his peaceful moment. A young maid's apprentice stood there and seeing the angry expression on the prince's face she bowed so deeply Zuko swore she was going to tip over.

"I apologize for disturbing you my Prince but I was ordered to bring these clean towels to your room." She muttered apologetically.

"Oh. That's fine." Zuko replied. The apprentice quickly picked up a stack of big fluffy towels and hung them in Zuko's bathroom. As she was leaving Zuko stopped her.

"I'm going to go to bed early tonight because I have a bad headache. I don't want anyone disturbing me for any reason."

"Oh! Yes of course my Prince! I will see to it that you aren't disturbed by anyone!" The maid replied quickly. "Oh! Do you want me to make you some tea to take care of your headache?" Zuko smiled and declined the tea for he didn't really have a headache; he just needed an excuse to be left alone. Once the door was closed he grinned and ran to his closet. Zuko replaced his current shirt with a skin tight black one and replaced his normal pants with some black silk pants that were a little baggy but they fit well enough. He looked in the mirror and admired his reflection. _Now I look like a spy!_ He thought to himself. Zuko untied the red string that was holding his hair back in a high pony tail and let it fall down. It was very long and it came all the way to his shoulders. He ran his fingers through the thick dark hair and his roots ached from being pulled back all day. Zuko looked in the mirror and scrunched up his nose when he saw his reflection. _Aw man! I look like a girl with my hair down! _He grabbed a black ribbon and quickly put his hair back up into a high ponytail. _There! Now I look like a guy again._ Zuko stepped back from the mirror and turned his attention to a big box in the back of his closet. He lifted the lid off the black leather chest and looked inside. Toys of all kinds lay inside; stuffed animals, wooden swords, and various games were packed to the brim but Zuko pushed past all his old toys to get to the bottom of the box. He felt around the bottom and grabbed a long rope. He fished it out and plunged his hand back into the box. Soon a triumphant grin appeared on his face as he pulled a double broad swords case out. The case itself wasn't very interesting but the swords inside it were real and sharp. Zuko had swiped them from the weapons room a couple weeks ago and as far as he knew hadn't been missed yet. He knew that he would have to return them if he was caught with them in his room so he had to hide them in his old toy chest. Not even the cleaning maids looked in the chest anymore so it made a perfect hiding place. Zuko slung the red case over his body and grabbed the rope. He walked over to the window and opened it carefully. His eyes peered over the edge looking for any life that might threaten his mission. Once he was satisfied with the apparent lack of servants using the door below, he turned around and tied the rope to one of the stone pillars that framed the window seat. Zuko jumped up to the edge of the window and took a deep breath. With the rope twisted around his body he eased himself out of the window. When he hit the ground he looked back up. The height of the window really wasn't very large and he probably could have jumped… _but this is way more fun_. Zuko grinned at his clever new exit from his room. Suddenly the door to his right opened and light flooded the back entrance. Zuko flattened himself against the wall and prayed to Agni that he wouldn't be seen. The servant girl that had brought him towels just a couple minutes ago stepped out into the light. She was carrying an empty water bucket and set it down to close the door. When she turned around she saw Zuko and let out a little gasp. Zuko heard one of the maids in the kitchen ask the cook if he had heard anything. Reacting as quickly as he could he kicked the bucket into the bushes next to them and grabbed the girl and covered her mouth. Pulling her into the bushes he flattened against the wall and held her tight against him. She struggled for a second but when the maid came out and started looking at the bushes the girl stopped her fight for freedom and pressed even closer to Zuko. Once the maid stopped scanning the bushes and closed the door, Zuko released his captive and let himself slide down the wall and sat on the ground. He felt his heart slowly slow back to a normal pace as the adrenaline disappeared. The girl was so shocked by the whole event she forgot that it was Prince Zuko she was with and that she was required to be respectful.

"What in Agni's name do you think you're doing?! Do you have any idea how much trouble I would be in if Hina had seen us?!" Zuko looked up at her surprised.

"I know… I'm sorry, but do you have any idea how much trouble **I** would be in if I was seen out of the palace at night? I couldn't risk getting caught so I kinda made it up as I went. Please don't tell on me. I really had no intent of pulling you into this." The girl stared at him for a second then fell over laughing. Zuko just stared at her fury building inside him. _I let her outburst go… but laughing at me?!_ After a minute or two the girl sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah you really _pulled_ me into this… I mean next time at least be a little bit more gentle. Oh, and so much for going to bed early!" She joked. Zuko suddenly realized that this girl wasn't laughing at him; she was just laughing because she was having fun, like any normal kid would do. He recognized that she wasn't just a maid's helper, she was a kid. Just like him. His hard stare melted and he started laughing along with her. After a couple minutes Zuko looked at the girl and saw someone totally different. He saw a girl that was probably only a year younger than him, a girl that was just as much a person as anyone else, not just a maid's helper that should be paying him the utmost respect right now.

"I'm sorry. I really would like to stay and talk but I've got to go. Hina might explode of frustration if she finds out I'm 'Dilly dally' in' again." The girl explained with a grin as she stood up and grabbed the water bucket lying next to them.

"Wait. What's your name?" Zuko asked suddenly.

"Lily." She smiled as she stepped away from the bush. Zuko returned his new friend's smile and headed the other way. Picking his way through the bush he kept one hand on the wall. Soon he saw the light from the flames that flanked the main gates shine through the bushes. He had reached the main entrance, ready to begin his mission. He crouched close to the wall where he had a good view of anybody who might be coming or going. Zuko smiled at his newest game, spy. Out of all of the games he would play this was the only one that required all of his skills and stealth to complete his mission. The other games he usually played consisted of fighting off 20 attackers with a dagger, or dodging fireballs; or maybe he had been captured by rebel earthbenders and he had to escape to warn his father about their secret plan. Those games were fun except they were just figures of his imagination; nothing bad would happen to him if he failed his missions. Spying on the other hand was totally different. It was a challenge, with real dangers and consequences. If he was caught outside the palace walls at night he would be assigned a guard to "Keep an eye on him." or even if he was in the palace walls and he was caught spying on an important guest he would probably get a scolding from his father and be confined to his room for a couple days. These consequences didn't scare the young prince though; it actually made the game much more entertaining to him. The fear adrenaline coursed through his veins every time someone almost stumbled upon his secret, Zuko had never felt that before this game and he loved it. He could just as easily spy on servants within the palace but that would be no fun. So, he was forced to come out here and find new people to spy on. Suddenly his eyes lit up and narrowed, concentrating, as a carriage pulled up.

Two black ostrich-horses tossed their heads and stepped in place at the front of the carriage. A servant boy ran up to them and held the regal looking animals still. The carriage itself Zuko recognized as a royal coach. _Score! Whoever is in that coach must be really important!_ Another servant boy scuttled around the side and opened the gold rimmed metal door. A tall muscled man stepped out of the coach. When he reached the ground he turned and waited for the next person to come out. Zuko immediately recognized the dark crimson jacket that the man wore. _A General!_ A gold dragon pin shined in the fire light and stood out against the crimson collar. _And an honored one too! I guess this is my lucky night._ As the general stepped back to allow more room for the servant boy that was helping a lady out of the carriage; Zuko noticed the general favor his left side. The man kept most of his weight on his right foot and he rubbed his left arm slowly with a grimace of pain that only lingered on his face for a second. The woman that stepped out was dressed as a fire nation noble with her hair twisted up into an elegant looking top-knot, but she carried herself in a very unsure and timid way. Zuko was somewhat confused by this but soon realized that she was just uncomfortable because she wasn't from here. Her hazel eyes gave her true heritage away; she was from the earth kingdom. Another figure started to step out of the carriage but stopped and stuck his head back into the coach to say something. Zuko couldn't make out what the boy had said but he heard a distinct girl's voice that replied,

"Oh, just get out. You're in my way." A small hand pushed her brother out of the coach. The boy managed to stay on his feet but it required some effort. After flailing his arms a bit he regained his balance and shot a glare at the coach door. The boy looked only a couple years older than Zuko and strikingly resembled his father. Some of his dark hair was pulled back into a top-knot and the rest of it hung loose, reaching just past his ears and eyebrows.

"This must be the family that Dad was talking about! And that general must be his friend… what was the guy's name again? Higo…? Kilgo…? Oh what was it? Keigo! That's it!" Zuko murmured to himself. The older boy stiffened and turned his head towards Zuko's hiding place. His eyes were a rich dark brown that seemed to darken as he furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the bush with a suspicious stare. Zuko held his breath and froze. _Dammit. He heard me! I've really gotta work on keeping my thoughts INSIDE my head… _The boy's stare deepened to an icy glare that caused a shiver to run down Zuko's spine._ Man. That kid is actually kind of intimidating. I'll be sure to stay on his good side._ A girl jumped from the carriage and landed neatly next to her brother with a smirk, pulling his gaze away from the bush.

"Come on Ryu! Stop staring at that bush like a lion-eagle is going to jump out and eat you. Let's go! I want to see the palace!" Ryu gave a threatening look to his little sister and sighed as he caught his mother's watchful eye. Zuko returned his attention to the girl and studied her for a second while the family waited for a servant to fetch them their guide. Her hair was a rich, dark chocolate that reflected a reddish glow as the firelight danced on it. Her skin was a healthy tan and Zuko could see that she had delicate hands and no trace of cuts or bruises on her hands or arms. She was petite and looked very small in the scarlet silk dress she was wearing. Her hair was pulled back into a high pony tail that trailed down the back of her neck and reached just below her shoulders at the ends. Shorter hair in front framed her face and some fell in her eyes. Zuko tried to study her face closer but she turned away and followed her family into the palace before he could get a good look. Waiting a couple heartbeats before following them Zuko watched the girl step on her brother's heel and attempt to dodge his hand that swung around to hit her. Ryu's palm collided with her upper arm with a satisfying smack. She jumped back surprised at the pain and tenderly covered the patch of red skin that was beginning to form. Ryu just gave her a smug look and quickened his pace until he walked beside his father. The girl had obviously gotten over the shock and was glaring daggers at her brother's back as she dropped her confident stance and slowed her pace. She began to trail behind the rest of the group, taking a moment to sulk. As they made their way down the hall Zuko could hear the guide chatter on about the architecture of the palace and how it was built. He ducked into the servants' hall that ran parallel to the main hall and ran to the end of the corridor. As he watched the family pass Zuko noticed that the girl was missing. He watched the group turn the corner and poked his head out to see if the girl was still at the end of the hall. He saw her slide open the courtyard door a crack and look inside. Her face lit up with her discovery and she glanced up and down the hall to make sure no one was coming. Once she was satisfied that she was safe, she slipped into the garden and closed the door behind her. Zuko darted down to the end of the servants' hall which happened to let out into the courtyard that the girl had disappeared into seconds before. He stopped at the end and peered around the corner. He stood along the middle of the far wall because the servants' hall followed the back wall and let out about halfway through right beside a big Japanese cherry tree. Delicate white flowers covered the tree and the petals blanketed the ground around the base. As Zuko looked around the rest of the courtyard he recognized patches of Azalia and White lotus; his Uncle's favorite flower. _I really don't know why he likes it so much. It's a very simple flower…_

As Zuko got lost in his thoughts the girl picked her way around the garden stopping occasionally to study a flower or plant. As she smelled a particularly sweet smelling flower she could feel someone watching her. She jumped up and looked around to see who or what had caught her trespassing in the garden.

Zuko ducked back behind the wall when the girl's sudden movement startled him out of his thoughts. He waited a few moments before glancing out into the courtyard again. The girl was standing with a little bit more relaxed stance and was watching the turtle-ducks paddle around in the shallow pond in the middle of the garden. Zuko took this opportunity to make the small leap between his hiding place and the tree beside him. He landed with no sound and he let himself lean back against the tree and listen for any sign of if the girl had noticed his slight relocation of himself.

The girl looked up just in time to see a flash of black disappear behind the tree in the far right corner of the garden. Being a curious child she decided to investigate. _Besides there's always the chance that it's friendly!_

Zuko felt his heart slow back to normal pace and he peered around the trunk of the tree to try and spot the girl. She had disappeared.

_Wait a minute… she was right by the pond. Where did she…_ Zuko turned to the other side of the tree, confused at her absence and came face to face with someone. He gave a little yelp and jumped back startled. A hand reached out and grabbed Zuko's, keeping him from falling over backwards with on swift tug. He regained his footing and looked into the face of his rescuer. The girl he had just been spying on all night looked back into his face with questioning eyes. Her face was a combination of her mother's and father's features. She had her mother's delicate looking skin and nose, and her father's strong jaw-line and high cheek bones. Her eyes though… they were uniquely hers. Zuko had never seen such eyes in his life. They were a dark mahogany with shots of gold that burned through and sparkled in the dim moonlight. Suddenly her eyes changed from a questioning stare to a sparkly and soft look. A big grin spread across her face as she poked Zuko in the shoulder and asked,

"So, what are you doing sneaking around and spying on people?" Zuko gave her a dumbstruck look and then darkened his face into a threatening glare.

"Well, seeing as I'm the _prince_ I think I can do whatever I want. _You_ however are trespassing on royal grounds and are now in trouble for that and not being respectful when addressing me." Zuko finished with an intimidating look and straightened his stance as to leave the girl shocked at what she had just done. _That should wipe her silly little grin right off her lips. _The girl looked terrified and then took a couple steps away and began stumbling over her apologies.

"I'm… I'm so sorry… I, I didn't know it was you. I… please don't be mad. It was a mistake..." Zuko saw that utter terror began fill her beautiful eyes and he immediately began to regret snapping at her.

"Wait. I… I didn't mean to be that harsh. Please don't go." The girl stopped backing up and looked up at him.

"Um… okay. I mean I can still leave if you want me too…"

"No, you just surprised me. That's all." Zuko explained with a friendly grin.

"Oh… well in that case, my name's Akira! What's yours?" She asked with a little bounce forward.

"Zuko." He laughed at her sudden friendliness.

"Cool! Oh, uh… I'm still kinda wondering why you were spying on me… I mean you don't have to tell me if you don't want to!" Akira finished quickly in case the prince was offended by her curiosity.

"Um… well… I wasn't exactly spying on _you_ I just happened to be here, behind this tree, and you happened to be there and… well… uh…" Zuko trailed off with an embarrassed grimace and sighed. _Very smooth. Way to impress her._

"Right…" Akira finished with a smug look. "So… what's up with the black outfit and sword if you just _happened_ to be standing behind this tree?"

"Okay. Okay. You caught me. I was spying on you but it was either you or the rest of your family and you seemed more interesting…" Zuko trailed off again realizing how stupid that sounded. "Hey! Speaking of your family shouldn't you be with them right now instead of snooping around the royal palace on your own?"

"What? Oh… Um, yeah; about that." Akira started as a guarded look passed across her face. "I was kinda mad at my brother and decided that a guided tour with him was not really at the top of my list of things to do."

"And trespassing is?" Zuko asked with a smug grin plastered to his face.

"Well, higher than spending time with my brother!" Akira shot back. As she continued her speech her eyes started to burn with passion and narrowed into slits. "And why should I be the only one getting in trouble? Even if you are the prince, I have a feeling your dad wouldn't be too happy knowing that his son is sneaking around the palace at night spying on innocent girls with a sword strapped to his back! What the heck is that for anyways?" Zuko's grin melted into a cold hard glare. He drew his swords and with a flick of his wrist he sliced one through a skinny lower branch of the tree. He brought both swords close to his body and then shot them out and pinned Akira against the wall with the sharp edges up so he didn't actually hurt her. Akira could feel the cold steel blades pressing against her shoulders and collarbone, holding her against the brick wall with surprising force. Zuko lowered his face so it was only inches away from hers and hissed with cold unfeeling expression,

"I carry my swords with me in case I ever have to kill anyone. So say your prayers, cause' you're on your way to the spirit world." Akira's mahogany eyes widened with fear and as she took a breath she realized how easily he could kill her. She wanted to scream, run, do anything to get away from the prince. A pounding fear formed in her gut and her mind told her to break the stare between them, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. As she looked deep into his gold eyes, Zuko's face broke into a smug grin.

"Scared you didn't I?" He laughed.

"That was mean! If you're not going to kill me with the swords than what the heck are you going to do with them?" Akira pressed.

"Well, you see… They help protect me from annoying girls that might tattle on me." Zuko replied.

"Oh. And I suppose I'm one of those annoying girls?" Akira laughed now somewhat amused by his new approach.

"Actually, you're the second one tonight. The other one I had to pull into the bushes and cover her mouth to make sure she didn't tell on me." Zuko replied with a smile as he relaxed his pressure on the swords pinning Akira against the wall.

"Yeah, right. I'm probably the first girl you've ever come this close too." Akira teased.

"Are you doubting me? Her name is Lily and she's one of the maid's helpers." Zuko said as he reclaimed his pressure on the swords, putting more pressure on Akira's shoulders.

"Lily?" Akira mocked in a high pitched voice. "Is _Lily_ your little girlfriend?"

"No! I told you. She's the maid's helper." Zuko countered with an impatient tone.

"I see. So, you think she's cute though." Akira continued with a look of pure innocence on her face.

"I never said that!" Zuko growled through his clenched teeth.

"Ow! Ease up on the swords!" Akira cried out. "Ow! Seriously Zuko!" Zuko quickly released her and his indignant features immediately softened into a concerned expression. His eyes searched her for any sign of serious pain or anger and he found that she had a cut on her left collarbone.

Akira winced in pain as she touched the spot on her collarbone where Zuko's sword had pressed. A trickle of blood stared to flow from the spot where the fine edge of the blade had briefly sliced the delicate skin along the top of her shoulder. She glanced up at Zuko who wore an alarmed expression, obviously mortified at himself for hurting her. She could see his lips start to form words but then he swallowed them back down and dragged his stare away from her cut. He looked into her eyes with a pleading gaze and finally said,

"I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't… I never meant too…" Akira matched his gaze for a second and then took a breath and smiled,

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean too and it doesn't really hurt that bad. I probably deserved it anyways. After all, I was the one teasing you." Zuko exhaled with a sigh of relief. As he regained his confidence in Akira's trust in him, he tore off part of his shirt and held it out to her.

"Here, hold this on it. It'll stop the bleeding." Akira took the piece of cloth from him and delicately touched it to her cut. It had a trickle of blood running along her collarbone and slowly beginning to pool in the dip by her neck. She winced, pulling the cloth away she glanced at Zuko to see what his reaction would be. Akira fully expected him to tell her that she was a wimp, but all she saw was care and kindness in his golden eyes.

Zuko gently confiscated the piece of cloth from her grasp and moved behind her.

"This might hurt for a second but I promise it will go away." He gently but firmly pressed the piece of cloth to the wound and held it there. Zuko placed his other hand on Akira's shoulder blade to steady her and to make sure the pressure he was putting on her collarbone wasn't too harsh.

"If you put more pressure on the cut it will stop the bleeding faster." Zuko explained as he slowly withdrew the cloth to check on her cut.

"Thank you." Akira murmured in a soft voice. "I've always been a wimp with the whole treatment stuff that comes with injuries. I mean, I can take the injury without even crying, but when it comes to putting on medicine or bandages I'm a huge wimp."

"Hey, everyone has their weaknesses. It's not something to be ashamed of." Zuko quoted from his uncle, who always seemed to know what to say to make you feel better. _Even if his proverbs didn't always make sense._ Akira let a warm, trusting smile escape from her lips as she turned and looked at Zuko. Her hair still had a reddish tinge even in the blue moonlight. Her lips parted slightly as if she were about to say something but a loud voice interrupted the silence.


	2. Chapter 2

"Akira! Where are you?" Akira's eyes widened as she pushed Zuko back towards the servants' hallway.

"Go! I can stay out of trouble easy enough but you should probably disappear before anybody catches you." Zuko gave her a grateful smile and made his way down the servants' hall. As he turned the corner he leaned against the wall and waited until he heard Akira's older brother's voice again. Slowly he crept back down to the entrance and listened to the conversation.

"Akira! Seriously! Where are you?" Ryu's voice echoed around the courtyard.

"Ryu! Come look at the cute little turtle-ducks! The littlest one keeps getting really close to me, but then swims back to his mom really fast. It's so cute!" Akira's voice replied, with a little higher pitch than normal.

"Ugh! Akira! Do you have any idea how much trouble I'm in because you decided to sit here and play with the turtle-ducks? Mom was convinced that you had been abducted or something. Now come on! We have to unpack." Ryu lectured with an impatient tone.

"Fine… Bye Zuko!" Akira's innocent voice drifted over to Zuko. He smacked his forehead. _What the hell! How can you just blow my secret after telling me to get out of here? Stupid girl._ He cursed her in his mind.

"Who's Zuko?" Ryu's suspicious and threatening voice hung in the air, filling Zuko with dread. He tensed up and waited for Ryu to storm over at any moment to beat him into pieces.

"He's the baby turtle-duck, duh!" Akira explained with a convincing voice. Zuko slumped against the wall with a sigh of relief. _Okay, Akira's smarter than I thought… _He shook his head, breathing out a silent laugh at Akira's cleverness.

"You named it?!" Ryu exclaimed with a voice crack that happened to accidently slip in causing Ryu to self consciously clear his throat. This caused Zuko to double over in a fit of silent laughter. _HA! So much for being intimidating._

"Of course I did. Now are we going to go unpack or not?" Akira shot back, with a hint of amusement hidden in her voice. Ryu let out a frustrated sigh and slid open the garden door violently.

"Are you coming?!" He growled in a deep menacing tone.

"Yes Ryu!" Akira quickly responded, realizing that he was done joking around. She ran across the garden and out into the hall. She quickly spun around and slid the door closed with a click and obediently followed her sibling down the hall and to their new home.

After Zuko heard the door close with a soft click he walked down the hall and back up to his room. Once he reached the safety of his room, he slipped out of the sword case and threw it on the huge couch in the corner by the bookshelves. Zuko untied the rope that was still dangling out his window and coiled it around his arm. Snatching up the sword case on his way by, Zuko stepped into the closet and buried both items in the toy chest. He peeled his shirt off and fingered the bottom edge that was torn and missing a little bit. The already fraying fabric felt soft and delicate under his finger tips. With a sigh he hung it up in the back corner, secretly hoping the maids wouldn't find it and replace it. Zuko paused for a moment letting images of Akira's eyes consume his mind; they burned with emotion but from passion, not from hate. Her eyes were perhaps the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Zuko shook his head, attempting to make sense of the feeling that flowed through him when he remembered her face. It wasn't love or something like that. _I mean, yeah she's pretty but I'm not in love with her. It's more like… like… _ Zuko racked his brain to find a suitable word for the emotion that he was feeling. _Fascination. That's it! Fascination…_ Suddenly a knock sounded on his door breaking his trance.

"I thought that I ordered everyone to leave me alone!" He shouted angrily. The knock sounded again a little more persistent this time. Zuko strode over to the door snarling curses under his breath at the sorry person who was on the other side of the door. He threw open the door and found Mai standing there with a surprised look on her face.

"Oh… hey. Sorry. I thought you were one of the maids." Zuko greeted his friend as she walked in.

"Yeah, um… I needed some help with the homework and Azula and Ty Lee didn't have a clue, so they told me to go ask you and um…" Mai trailed off with a red face.

"Okay. What do you need help with?" Zuko asked. "Is it too hot in here or something 'cause your face is really red…"

"What! No… it's just… never mind…" Mai said as she quickly drew her eyes away from his bare chest. Zuko saw her eyes flick back to his well muscled frame for a second and then she returned her gaze to his face. He let a smirk slowly form on his lips.

"What? Never seen a guy without a shirt or somethin'." He teased. A wave of satisfaction washed over him when her face deepened a whole shade darker.

"You know that's not true! Come on Zuko, we go to the beach all time." She shot back only to find that it had little effect on the mocking smirk stuck to Zuko's face.

"Oh. Well, in that case it shouldn't bother you a bit." He finished, as his little smirk turned into a smug grin. He walked over to his desk and grabbed the homework sheet that they had been assigned on Friday. When he returned, Mai's complexion still hadn't returned to normal.

"Hey… you know I was just kidding right? I can go put a shirt on if you really want me too… It's just that it is kind of hot in here." Zuko said with a concerned look on his face.

"No, that's okay. Like you said, it's just really warm out." She said with confidence returning to her voice. "July's always a killer, even at night." Mai gestured to the open window. The Fire nation was always warm, especially in the middle of summer. Other than the almost daily storms that winter brought and the extreme dry heat in the summer there wasn't much of a change of climate from season to season.

"Okay, cool. So, what did you need help with?"

Zuko helped Mai with her homework for a little bit and then they talked for a while longer until a servant came from Mai's house to escort her home. Zuko flopped down on his bed, exhausted, and fell into a deep sleep.

A maid tapped on Zuko's door with delicate knocks at first, but it gradually amounted to a loud rap. The young prince let a moan escape from his lips and buried his head under his pillow, wishing for another hour of sleep.

"Prince Zuko? Prince Zuko… It's time to wake up. Your father wants you ready for breakfast in fifteen minutes!"Her obnoxiously shrill voice seemed to echo through the room rousing Zuko to a somewhat conscious state. "Prince Zuko! Come on now… I was sent to get you out of bed and that's what I intend to do… did you hear me? It's past dawn already! See!" She had drawn back the curtains that surrounded Zuko's bed and a ray of bright light shone right in Zuko's face.

"Oh how I would _love_ to shove a fireball down your ridiculously annoying throat right now." He grumbled as he groggily sat up and looked around the room.

"Now Prince Zuko… that wouldn't be very nice. It also would be a very savage and violent way of solving your problems…" The maid lectured oblivious to the murderous glare the young prince was shooting at her.

"Mph! Because ya' know, I couldn't _possibly_ kill you with a single ball of fire right now…" Zuko muttered under his breath, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh! I need you to try this outfit today and see what you think of it. You are growing faster than a baby mouse-finch, and need some new clothes that actually fit you."The maid continued on, ignoring the sleep-deprived boy. Zuko let out a dramatic sigh and grabbed the silky garments from the bothersome maid. He stepped into the bathroom to change and shut the door with a little more force than normal. Running through his morning routine; he brushed his teeth, and combed out his hair and tied it up in his classic ponytail. Zuko pulled the silk shirt over his torso and realized that he never changed pants the night before. Suddenly all of the memories from the last night hit him like a tidal wave. He took a sharp breath and then stared at his reflection for a moment, regaining the control of his mind. Suddenly very excited at the prospect of starting a new day, Zuko quickly finished getting dressed and ran out of the bathroom. He pushed past the surprised maid, knocking the pile of clean sheets she held from her hands. Once he made it to the hall he stopped for a moment and inhaled deeply. He followed the smell of freshly cooked food all the way to the kitchen and stopped outside the door. After taking another moment to regulate his breathing back to normal he casually stepped in the kitchen and looked around. The cook, Kotaro, looked up from the pile of fruit he was chopping up.

"Your family will be eating in the dining hall this morning Prince Zuko."

"Oh, okay. Do you know why? I mean, we always just grab something from the kitchen in the morning." Zuko asked.

"Yes, I know. But your father wishes to have a family conference of some sort and that would probably include you, so I would stop asking questions and just going along with what your father says." Kotaro advised good naturedly.

"Right." Zuko agreed, then shouted over his shoulder as he dashed back down the hall; "Bye Kotaro! See you later!" He rounded the corner and narrowly missed running head-on into the same maid who had woken him this morning. _She is just bound and determined to ruin my morning, isn't she?_ He finally reached the dining room and slipped in hoping to go unnoticed.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally woke up! I'm glad to see that you got some extra beauty sleep Zuzu." Azula taunted as all the servants turned to stare at him. Ozai's stare was especially hard and unforgiving. Zuko's cheeks burned a tinge of pink and lowered his eyes as he slipped into a seat across the table from Azula.

"Zuko, why are you late? You kept us waiting." Firelord Ozai asked in a disapproving tone.

"I'm sorry father, but I didn't know that we were eating here instead of the kitchen. It won't happen again." Zuko apologized respectfully.

"It better not. Well, now that you're finally here I would like to discuss General Keigo's family."

"I told you! I don't want anything to do with them!" Azula shouted angrily.

"Azula, General Keigo's family are not peasants you know. They grew up in a very rich community and are here as our guests. I want you to welcome them into your life with open arms; with no complaints. Understand?" Ozai stated in a serious tone.

"Yes father." Azula responded in a deadly voice. She raised her chin defiantly and glared at her father; surrendering to his decision, but not without a fight.

"So… when are they coming?" Zuko interrupted the silence.

"Actually they have already arrived. They checked in last night and in a few minutes they will be coming to eat breakfast with us." Ozai answered, glad that one of his children was interested in the family.

"Sir, General Keigo and his family have arrived." A servant reported to the Firelord.

"Good. Send them in please." Ozai ordered. A minute later the doors opened and the man that Zuko saw last night limped into the room. His wife was close by his side, keeping a steady hand on his arm.

"Keigo!" Firelord Ozai exclaimed with an almost playful tone that echoed in Zuko's head. _Wow. They must be really good friends. I haven't heard Dad this happy since… well in a long time._ "It's been a long time…" The Firelord walked up to his old friend and pulled him into a hug.

"It has… too long. It's good to see you." Keigo said in a deep, warm voice. Ozai, this is my family, my beautiful wife, Mayumi." The women smiled and dipped her head respectfully to the Firelord. "My son Ryu." Ryu's dark eyes sparkled with excitement as he bowed to the Firelord and gave a smile, showing off a perfect row of white teeth. And my daughter, Akira. Keigo said as he pulled his daughter to his side and gave her a comforting squeeze with his right arm. "It's an honor to meet you Firelord Ozai." She said in a sweet, polite voice as she bowed. Ozai dipped his head in return.

"I am looking forward to getting to know you all during breakfast." He walked over and stood with his hands on the back of Zuko's chair. "This is my son Zuko." Zuko smiled and nodded to the family but kept his eyes fixed on Akira. Ozai walked around the end of the table and his hands rested on Azula's shoulders. "And my daughter, Azula. Now, please. Take a seat." Ozai said as he sat at the head of the table in a chair that was specially designed for the Firelord. The family walked over to the table and General Keigo took a seat by Ozai and Mayumi sat on the other side of him, across from her husband. She gave Azula, who was sitting beside her, a friendly nod and Azula returned it with an innocent and sweet smile. Akira quickly slid in by Zuko, who was next to Keigo and across from Azula, and left Ryu to sit at the other head of the table, opposite from the Firelord. At first he looked unsure, as if he wasn't supposed to sit in such a powerful position, but when Ozai nodded for him to take a seat he grinned again and quickly sat down. Azula gave him a smile and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table, and propped her chin up on her hands.

"So, what's your name again?" She asked in a flirty voice.

"Uh, Ryu." Responded, surprised at the sudden interest that the princess had taken in him. Suddenly realizing that she was flirting with him, he leaned back in his chair and flipped the hair out of his eyes. "And your name?" He asked in a deep voice that Zuko swore was almost a full octave lower. Azula giggled and showed off her own row of pearly whites.

"Azula. So, what was life back in the colonies?" She asked with a pair of cute panda-puppy eyes that made Zuko want to barf. Ryu however loved them and gave her a smile as he explained the basics of life in the colonies. Zuko felt something touch his foot and he looked over to Akira. She sat in the same position as Azula and asked in almost the exact same flirty tone,

"So, what's your name again?" He almost laughed out loud, but controlled himself and leaned back in his chair. Pretending to flip his hair and lowering his voice into a macho manly voice, he replied,

"Zuko, and your name?" Akira giggled and answered,

"Akira. So, what's life like in the palace?" At this point Zuko couldn't keep his straight face any longer and burst out laughing. As he lowered the volume of his laughter so that he didn't attract too much attention, he looked over at Akira who had started laughing as well. After a minute or two they pulled themselves together and looked around to see if anyone had noticed. All of the servants were busy getting breakfast ready and the adults at the other end of the table were listening to Keigo telling a dramatic war story. Zuko glanced over at his sister who had, for once, not noticed the teasing and was giving all her attention to Ryu who was telling some stupid story about how he and his friends had played a prank on some teacher. Zuko looked back at Akira and caught her staring at him.

"What?"

"What?! Oh nothing… Sorry. I just kinda spaced out there for a second." She explained. Zuko couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that she wasn't looking at him, but dismissed the feeling immediately.

"How's your cut, did it split open again?" He asked in a concerned voice.

"Nah, once I got home I told my mom that I must have sliced it on something in the carriage and she cleaned it up. It's all good." She replied as she pulled the neckline of her silk shirt down a little, exposing the small piece of cloth held to her shoulder by a thin strip of a silk bandage that was wrapped around her shoulder. Zuko gave her a quick smile of relief that she was okay and whispered,

"I'm really sorry, Next time I'll be more careful."

Next time? Akira asked with a playful expression. "What makes you think that you'll be pinning me against a wall again anytime soon?"

"Hey, you never know…" Zuko said as his smile turned into a sly grin then he whispered, "Okay, we've never met before…" She nodded in agreement and asked,

"So, what is your favorite kind of food?"

Zuko and Akira continued their small talk through the rest of breakfast, Azula and Ryu hadn't stopped flirting since they first laid their eyes on each other, and the adults at the other end of the table paid little attention to their children. As everybody finished eating, Ozai stood up and dismissed most of the servants with a wave of his hand. He looked to the other end of the table and noticed that the kids were becoming fast friends.

"Azula and Zuko, why don't you take your new friends to school with you today and show them around their future school."

"Oh! That sounds like a brilliant idea Ozai!" Mayumi exclaimed with delight. Zuko raised his eyebrows in surprise. _Dad never lets just anybody refer to him without Firelord in front of his name…_

"Yeah! Good idea Dad!" Azula added; her voice haloed with pure innocence. _Ha. You just want to show off your new boy toy to all your friends. Well, your followers… _

"What do you think Zuko?" Ozai asked his son.

"What! Oh… yeah. Sounds good." Zuko mumbled, shocked his father would even stop to consider his opinion. _That's weird… usually he just tells me what to do; whether I like it or not._

"Alright… well then, why don't you head out now? You know how Professor Chan hates it when you are late." Ozai said as he glared at his son for giving such an unenthusiastic reaction to his genius plan.

"Yeah, he hates it alright… if you're not in your seat when the bell rings you get to be really good friends with one of his belts." Zuko muttered to Akira as they headed to the door.

"Really? He actually hurts you?" Akira asked as her eyes widened in fright.

"Nah, it only stings for a day or two. You have nothin' to worry about though. He only does it to the guys… the girl's just get a scolding and some insult. You'll see. It's Monday, someone's bound to sleep late." Zuko reassured her. They turned down the hall and suddenly Zuko stopped in his tracks causing Ryu to run into him.

"What the…?! Hey, watch where you're going _kid_!" Ryu yelled in surprise.

"Ha! Kid?" Zuko snorted. "So a guy two years younger than you is some kid, but a girl four years younger than you is considered good flirting material? Way to think that through cow-hog brain." The older boy cringed for a second at the insult but soon Zuko's words sunk in and Ryu whirled and faced Azula with a shocked face.

"Wait! You're only ten?! You told me that you were thirteen!" He exclaimed with disbelief.

"And my work here is done." Zuko said as he walked away, back down the hall, brushing imaginary dirt off his hands.

"Wait up!" Akira shouted as she ran to catch up with Zuko. "Where are you going?"

"I just realized that I left my school stuff in my room, kind of a necessity in Professor Chang's class. He hates _ill prepared students_ even more than late ones." Zuko explained as he quickened his pace. Once they reached Zuko's room he ducked in and grabbed the pile of scrolls sitting on his desk. He turned back and the two started back down the hall. A loud gong sounded three times in the distance.

"Okay, now we run. That's the warning bell." Zuko said as he started to jog, waiting for Akira to catch up. Once she did, he moved into a sprint and they raced down the hall, out the door, and through the palace gates. Zuko could hear Akira's breathing start to get heavier and she started to slow down.

"Come on! We're almost there!" He told her between breaths. They finally reached the school and Zuko managed to burst through the doors and slip into a seat by the door just as the gong sounded. Akira stood by his desk, winded from their sprint, and looked up at the man standing at the front of the room. She decided that he must be Professor Chan. The older man had white hair and big bushy sideburns. His skin was dark and leathery, as if he had been through a lot in his younger years. His chocolate colored eyes where cold and unfriendly, but had a hint of softness; hidden deep beneath the angry outer layer. His arms were crossed across his chest and as he spoke his voice boomed throught the room, silencing any whispers between students.

"So, Prince Zuko. Slipping into class just in the nick of time, as usual, but… I see you brought a friend this time."

"Yes, sir. This is Akira." Zuko responded, not intimidated whatsoever by Professor Chan's icy glare.

"I see. Well Akira. Maybe you would like to introduce yourself and your brother to the class." Professor Chan suggested.

"Okay, Well… I'm Akira and that is my brother, Ryu." Akira said as she pointed to her brother in the back of the room, sitting with Azula and two other girls. "Our father is General Keigo and he was injured in an attack on a rebelling earth colony. Firelord Ozai and my father know each other very well; so, Firelord Ozai graciously let our family move to the capital while my father recovered. We will be attending school here during our stay and… well that's about it."

"Good. Now if anyone has questions for Akira, please ask them now or at recess." Professor Chan told the students.

"I have a question." a boy said from the middle of the room as he raised his hand. He displayed a cocky grin and Professor Chan rolled his eyes and sighed when he called on him.

"Yes, Tomoya?" Akira looked at Tomoya and decided that he was defiantly one of the cuter boys. His hair was worn like her brother's, the top layer was pulled into a small top-knot and the rest hung loose. It came to his eyebrows and just past his ears. The only difference was; Tomoya had light brown hair instead of dark brown. His eyes were a dark gold, like most of his other classmates, and he had a cute, lopsided grin that was a nice touch to his already good looks. Akira returned his grin and waited for him to ask his question. After a couple seconds of studying each other he finally spoke.

"So… are you single? Or do I have to convince you to dump your boyfriend?" His cocky grin got a little wider as some classmates started to laugh. Akira was taken by surprise but recovered quickly.

"Well. I'm single. But I sure hope you're asking for one of your friends and not yourself… because you got no chance." Akira countered with deadly accuracy. Tomoya's grin disintegrated and his eyes narrowed. A round of "Ohhh"s went around the room and the class turned to Tomoya to see what his reaction would be. He slowly let a grin slip back over his lips and took a breath to speak, when Professor Chan interrupted.

"Alright children! That's enough. If you want to flirt do it on your own time." A few snickers erupted throughout the room, but were silenced with a glare. "Now, Miss Akira. Please take the empty seat over by the window." He continued. Akira and Zuko exchanged a look as she walked to the opposite side of the room and sat down. "The rest of you please take out this weekend's homework." A few groans were released from the kids who forgot to do it, but Zuko barley heard them. The class dragged on for another two hours of Professor Chan lecturing about Firelord Sozin's life, a collection of stories that Zuko knew by heart. _Why do I have to sit through this? Sozin was my great grandfather for Agni's sake! I think I know enough about him already... yes, he was the genius who figured out that the comet could be used to wipe all of the worthless airbenders off the face of the earth with one blow. Yes, the comet is now named after him, yes, he was my great grandfather. No duh! Pretty sure I knew that already… _

Zuko added his own personal commentary to Professor Chan's final review to keep himself entertained; as the teacher recapped the past two hours. The recess bell finally rang and all of the students from the various classrooms poured out into the main courtyard.

"So, I see your little girlfriend has already dumped you for someone else." Azula snickered as she passed Zuko's desk. He looked over at Akira and Tomoya, who had apparently gotten over their little "argument" and were now talking and laughing like they had known each other for years.

"She's not my girlfriend. I just met her this morning." Zuko shot back at his little sister as he stood up. Small flames erupted from his fists and came dangerously close to the desk.

"Ooh. Temper, temper. You better watch yourself, if you burn the school down, Dad will be even more ashamed of you." Azula taunted. Zuko grabbed her and whispered close to her face,

"If you EVER, say that again… I will tell EVERYONE that you still sleep with your toy dragon." A shocked look passed over Azula's face, but was quickly replaced with a malicious grin.

"OW! Stop hurting me! I told you, I don't have any extra money for lunch. Zuko! Dad already gave you money! Stop!" Zuko immediately let go of her and looked around. Professor Chan walked over, grabbed Zuko's arm and spun him around.

"Prince Zuko! What is the meaning of this? You know I don't approve of boys picking on girls by using their superior strength as an advantage." He scolded. "Now I want you to apologize to your sister immediately!"

"Sorry Azula." Zuko muttered.

"Good, now I don't want to hear any more hog-monkey business from you or I will be forced to get my belt. Understand?" Professor Chan stated in a matter-of-fact, yet, very intimidating voice.

"Yes sir." Zuko said quickly. Professor Chan nodded then walked back to his desk. Azula gave her brother a smug look and started towards Mai and Ty Lee. Mai caught Zuko's eye and gave him a little smile before she, Azula and Ty Lee went out to recess. Zuko acknowledged her with a nod, then turned and looked back over to Akira. He saw that she and Tomoya were only about a foot away from each other now. He scowled and turned to the door.

Akira looked up to see Zuko disappear around the corner.

"I'll catch you later Tomo." She yelled over her shoulder as she raced across the room after Zuko. "Hey Zuko! Wait up!"Akira shouted at her friend as he walked on to the porch without her. He turned and glared at her but kept walking. "What's your problem?" She asked him once she finally caught up with him.

"Nothing. I just want to be alone." He said, but kept walking with his eyes focused on the tree in the corner of the courtyard.

"Aw, come on Zuko. There has to be something bugging you." Akira pleaded as she followed him across the clearing. "Was it whatever Azula said?" She asked with genuine concern in her eyes. Zuko sat down and leaned against the tree with a sigh. Akira crouched next to him and waited for his response. He looked up and met her gaze with sad eyes.

"Look. It involves a long story that I'll probably share with you some other time, but right now… well it's just not a good time." He tried to say it without any feeling, but cracks of emotion kept breaking through. He looked at his hands with eyes that were glazed over with depressing thoughts; Azula's words shook him to the core. _"Dad will be even more ashamed of you."_

_Everything was different a year ago. Mom was still alive, Azula was semi-nice to me, and Dad wasn't so disappointed in me. Now, Akira's found a better friend and I really don't make a difference to anyone. Maybe Azula's right; maybe I am "just a small bump in everyone's lives"._

Akira sat close to him and touched her hand to his. She traced his fingers with her own and then rested her head on his shoulder. He watched her finger trace his hand, floating over his fingers, following all the bumps and curves of the bones and tendons beneath his skin. "You don't have to tell me anything." Akira whispered in a gentle voice.

"Why do you care so much? We only met yesterday you know." Zuko replied softly as he let his head rest on hers.

"Because, it feels like I've known you forever and, well… to be honest, you're the first person I've met that I feel like I can open up to, and just be myself." She explained. She could feel Zuko relax a little and sigh. They sat in silence for a minute more, each lost in their own thoughts, until shouting broke over the normal drone of recess. Zuko stood up and looked around. A circle of kids had formed in the center of the clearing and that only meant one thing; a fight.


	3. Chapter 3

Zuko watched for a second and then motioned Akira to follow him. They walked across to the clearing and stopped at the outer edge of the large circle of kids. Two boys stood in the middle, yelling at each other.

"That's Arashi." Zuko told Akira as he motioned to the taller boy. "Don't _ever_ get mixed up with him. He's trouble, and doesn't respect anybody. The only reason he's not in the coal mines is because his father is an admiral. The shorter kid is Remi, but I'll bet you anything Arashi will call him Smalls. The kid hates that name."

"Give me back my dagger." Remi commanded. He looked about Azula's age and was way too small to be picking fights.

"Ha! No way! You're not even supposed to have it at school." The Arashi taunted holding the dagger way above the Remi's head.

"I said give it back!" The Remi shouted as he took a couple of steps toward his opponent. Arashi just raised the dagger higher above his head and gave a snort.

"You couldn't make me even if you tried Smalls." As soon as the words left his lips, the smaller boy stepped closer, so they were only about six inches away from each other. He looked up at Arashi and growled,

"Don't call me Smalls, and I want my dagger back!"

"What… Smalls? But it fits you so well!"

Remi's eyes narrowed into slits and in the next second, his fist collided with his classmates face. The victim of the punch howled in pain and grabbed his cheek, right below his eye. Arashi recovered quickly and punched the smaller boy in the chest so hard it knocked him off his feet. Remi laid on the ground with his face twisted in pain and gasping for air, but didn't move. Arashi was still intent on getting revenge for his now bruised and somewhat swollen cheek bone so; he started towards the other boy again, with anger burning in his eyes. Akira knew that if someone didn't help the younger boy he could get seriously injured. She didn't see anyone moving to help Remi, so she pushed her way through the crowd and ran to his side. Zuko yelled for her to come back, but she barley heard him. She ran into the circle and punched Arashi in the jaw, sending him spinning off to the side. She knelt down beside Remi, checking his condition. Zuko watched in horror as Arashi slowly got up and walked up behind Akira. He grabbed her by the collar and threw her to the side. She let out a surprised yelp of pain as her airway was momentarily closed off. Akira paused to regain her strength, and felt the anger boiling inside her. Arashi had moved his attention back to Remi and Akira took the opportunity to quickly move herself into a crouch. She leapt into the air and tackled Arashi; knocking him to the ground. He grabbed her and tried to flip her off him, but she stuck to him like a burr. They wrestled for a second more but soon Arashi's brute strength had outmatched Akira's quickness and she was pinned to the ground. Akira struggled, but soon found that Arashi's weight on top of her was too much to escape from. His weight crushed her beneath him and Arashi could feel her struggling to breathe. He raised his fist to strike her and Akira prayed that the inevitable blow wouldn't knock her out. Her eyes widened as she saw Arashi's arm tense and his fist get tighter. She froze with fear and couldn't move. Her mind screamed at her to shut her eyes and turn her head, but she couldn't even breathe. Arashi pulled his arm back a little bit and then time seemed to slow to a stop. Akira felt him release all the energy in his arm and as his fist began to rocket towards her face. Suddenly the fist disappeared and Arashi's weight was lifted off her. She gulped a mouthful of air as time returned again and she regained control of her body. She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position and stared at her feet, trying to make sense of what just happened.

Zuko watched Arashi quickly pin Akira down and raise his fist. He pushed through the kids in front of him and ran towards the boy. Zuko grabbed Arashi's wrist right as it started to drop towards Akira's face. He used the other boy's momentum against him and with a turn of his arm, Arashi tipped backwards, and let out a surprised yelp. Zuko gave an almost effortless push and Arashi fell backwards to the hard, dusty ground. Arashi's head connected with a sickening thud and he let out a moan but didn't move. Zuko glared at Arashi for a heartbeat more, but quickly turned his attention to Akira and knelt down beside her.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said as looked into his face. "Thanks."

"All right! What in Agni's name is going on here?! I want to know what happened right now!" Professor Chan's voice boomed through the courtyard, immediately dispersing the circle of kids to the outer walls and corners. The bell that signaled the end of recess rang and all the students slowly returned to their class rooms. Professor Chan surveyed the scene in front of him and saw Remi sitting away from the others, breathing heavily and holding his chest. Arashi was sprawled out on his back, moaning and holding his head with his hands. Zuko was crouched next to Akira who had a red line across her throat that indicated she had probably been choked at some point. Professor Chan sighed and called the school nurse to the courtyard. She ran out and immediately started checking over Remi and Arashi. Professor Chan walked over to Akira and Zuko and knelt down beside them.

"Alright. Now, I want to know what happened." He asked in a serious tone. Akira exchanged a look with Zuko before starting the story. She told Professor Chan about Arashi taking Remi's dagger and not giving it back, and how they got into a fight and Arashi knocking the wind out of Remi with one punch. She recapped her attempt at helping Remi and her short fight with Arashi, but she trailed off just before the part where Zuko had saved her. Akira took a sharp breath and stared at the ground in front of her with sightless eyes. New images of the fist coming down on her flowed through her mind, previously lost in the recent memories of what had just occurred. She exhaled slowly and shook her head, trying to rid it of the pictures.

Zuko squeezed her shoulder, trying his best to comfort her. He turned to Professor Chan and explained the rest of the fight.

"And before Arashi could hit her I kinda… well… flipped him over backwards." Zuko said uncomfortably, knowing that the move he had just executed was hard for most experts and was impossible for regular teens. He rubbed the back of his neck somewhat embarrassed by his obviously advanced fighting skills. All his life he tried to fit in with the other kids and pretend he wasn't the Fire Prince when he was at school. He never got into fights because he didn't want to be a show off and he certainly didn't like the fact that he had an audience when he flipped Arashi. "Look, I didn't mean to hurt him I just was trying to protect Akira." Professor Chan sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He looked up again and his eyes had an uncharacteristic kindness shining in them.

"Listen, because this is your first day, Akira and because, Zuko, you were just trying to protect your friend, I'm only going to give you both one detention. Stay after class and we can talk more about it later. For the time being, let's get back to the classroom."

Zuko helped Akira to her feet and the three walked back to the classroom in silence. As soon as they reached the class room, Zuko and Akira quietly slid into two empty front row seats. Zuko could feel every single kid in the room staring at him. He slumped a little farther down in his seat and let out a sigh. This was going to be a _long_ day.

Zuko sat by the window and watched the last few kids disappear around the front of the school. He sighed and looked around the classroom. School had just gotten out about ten minutes ago, but the building was already empty. Professor Chan had left just a couple seconds ago to meet with another teacher about something. _Lucky for us, when Professor Chan goes somewhere he usually doesn't come back till detention is almost done._ Zuko thought to himself. Remi sat in the back corner and was working hard on the paper that Professor Chan had assigned to the five kids stuck in detention. Arashi sat a couple seats in front of Remi and had a big bag of ice strapped to the back of his head and his jaw had a nice purplish tinge forming where Akira had punched him. He also appeared to be doodling instead of writing, but that wasn't anything new. Akira sat a couple seats to the left and was working on the assignment that they were supposed to complete. _Ha! There's no way I'm writing some stupid paper on why the Colonies are an important trade center. _Zuko turned around and studied the kid that sat a couple seats behind him. He was a short wimpy looking kid that had a goofy grin plastered on his face. His hair was pulled back into a top-knot, but it looked like it was going to come loose any second. Zuko realized that he was in the class below him and was regularly caught pulling pranks on teachers and other students. Suddenly the kid looked up from his paper and caught Zuko staring at him.

"Hey! What's your name?" The kid suddenly asked, with his stupid smile still stuck to his face.

"Uh… Zuko. Yours?" Zuko replied after a second.

"Daichi. So... what're you in for?"

"Beating the living crap out of that guy." Zuko responded with a grin as he pointed to Arashi.

"You wish! If you hadn't ganged up on me with _her_ then you would be the one with the ice pack stuck to your head!" Arashi protested.

"Shut up koala-sheep brain. Nobody cares." Akira glared at him and Arashi just gave her a dirty look and returned to his doodling.

"So… let me get this straight… You beat him up with her help? Why is he in here then?" Daichi asked. Zuko sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Okay, here's the real story…" He started at the beginning and recapped the entire fight.

"So you were just protecting her from him…" Daichi said with a thoughtful look, as if he was finally making sense of the story.

"Uhh… yeah… pretty much." Zuko said.

"I see… so… Is she your girlfriend?" Daichi asked with a mischievous grin.

"What?! No! She's just… a friend…" Zuko stammered.

"Right… So, do you happen to like this… 'friend'?" Daichi questioned as he cocked his head and stroked an imaginary beard.

"Like? Well, sure. I mean; I like her, but as a friend… not like like. Just like…" Zuko stumbled over his own words and suddenly he dropped his shoulders and sighed. "Okay… never mind."

"Sure man… whatever you say." Daichi laughed.

"Okay. You guys do know I'm right here and can hear you, right?"Akira asked as she turned around and faced the two boys.

"Yeah… I was kind of hoping that Zuko here would declare his undying love for you, but it didn't exactly work out that way." Daichi explained. Akira laughed and Zuko just glared at the younger boy.

"So, you know what we got detention for. Why are you here?" Akira asked him.

"Eh. Crackin' jokes in class, harmless pranks... the usual. Actually it's kinda nice to see some new faces in here. Normally I'm stuck with Kaito and Professor Chan for company. Not much fun. Kaito actually isn't bad, but he can be kind of annoying. And Professor Chan… don't even get me started on that man. Actually he's kinda cool when you get to know him and Kaito likes to draw and carve stuff on the desks just to piss Professor Chan off. You should have seen the look on his face when he found Kaito's huge carving on the back desk. I mean it was like, surprise, anger, respect and amusement all at once. Oh! And then there was this one. -" Zuko slapped a hand over Daichi's mouth cutting off his story..

"Do you ever stop talking?" Zuko asked.

"I wou ef yo et go uf my mouf…" Daichi said, his words muffled by Zuko's hand. Zuko released his grip and wiped the spit off on his pant leg as he scrunched his nose up in disgust.

"Thank you. So, what's your name?" Daichi turned to Akira. "No wait! Let me guess… mmm… is it Azalia? Because you're as pretty as one." Zuko rolled his eyes and groaned.

"No, but you're close. It's Akira." Akira giggled.

"I see! Well then my lovely Akira, will you please come over here and help me with my paper? I have seemed to hit a dead end on my knowledge in this particular subject." Daichi said with an almost perfect imitation of one of the upper class generals that Akira often met with her father.

"Why of course sir. I would be honored to assist you with your paper." Akira responded as she walked over and kneeled next to his desk.

"Ah. Your help is much appreciated. I will forever be in your debt." Daichi pushed himself up to a kneel as well and bowed deeply to Akira. She giggled and then explained some ways he could meet the 300 word requirement that Professor Chan had set earlier. Zuko watched them and felt a wave of jealousy start to swell inside him, but he quickly pushed it away and started to work on his own paper. _Might as well finish this. No point in getting in any more trouble than I'm already in._

Akira had just finished with Daichi and was now sitting cross-legged at her own desk. She bit the end of her pen as she stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. Her essay had been done for awhile now and the piece of paper in front of her was going to have a drawing on it; eventually. The problem was; Akira didn't have any ideas for a masterpiece. She normally painted landscapes and flowers. They were fun to draw because, well, they were complicated but they didn't move all the time like people or animals. She looked around the room and sighed. There wasn't a single plant within sight and she didn't feel like drawing the desk. Soon the pen was stuck back in the ink bottle and the paper was returned to the back shelf. Akira rested her head on the desk and slowly let her eyelids close. After awhile she was sound asleep.

"Psst! Zuko!" Daichi hissed.

"What?" Zuko growled, glaring at Daichi for distracting him. He was only about 40 words away from being done with his paper and really just wanted to finish it.

"Do you like dragon fruit?" Daichi asked.

"Why…? Never mind. Sure Daichi. I like Dragon fruit." Zuko responded. He turned back to his paper and started writing again.

"Oh, okay. I was just wondering." There was a small pause that lasted no more than a minute before Daichi's voice echoed around the room yet again. "Zuko, would you ever beat anyone up for no reason?" Daichi prodded as he poked Zuko in the shoulder.

"No. However if you bug me again; then… yes I will beat you up." Zuko said without taking his eyes off his paper. Daichi shrank back quickly into his seat, out of Zuko's reach.

"Alright then. Not gonna bug Zuko." Daichi said to himself. "Hey! Akira, will you talk to me I'm bored."

"Mmm… Wha…?" Akira mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Will you talk to me?" Daichi repeated.

"Sure… what do you want to talk about?" Akira sighed.

"Hmm… What were your friends like back at your old school?"

"Well, there were only about twelve kids in my village and their ages ranged from 6 to 16. So I was kind of in the middle. There was a guy named Isamu who was my age but he was super obnoxious. My best friend was Hotaru. She was fourteen and had a crush on my brother. It was the funniest thing ever!" Akira laughed. Daichi opened his mouth to reply when Professor Chan walked into the room.

"Alright students, you may bring your essays up here. If I find them acceptable then you may leave." The five students each brought their papers up and Professor Chan quickly scanned each of them. Akira waited for Professor Chan to dismiss her and he looked up.

"Akira, I hope I won't have to see you in here again. You are a good student and have a good heart, but let's try to stay out of trouble from now on."

"Yes sir." She responded.

"Very good, you may leave."

"Thank you sir." Akira said as she walked out of the classroom. She sprinted down the hallway to catch up with Zuko.

"Agh! I can't believe I got detention on the first day of school! My mom is gonna kill me!"

"Yeah well, you're not the only one wishing that you had a little better judgment when it comes to picking fights." Zuko replied unsympathetically.

"Hey at least I tried to help! Everybody else was too chicken to do anything!" Akira shot back.

"Yeah, and then you didn't watch your back and I had to come save you. Now thanks to you I got detention and I'm back on Arashi's bad side." Zuko growled.

"Oh it's my fault now! Well you didn't have to save me. I could have taken a punch or two." Akira retaliated, stopping and facing him with hands on her hips.

"Ha! You would be stuck in the doctor's house with your entire head wrapped in bandages if it weren't for me!" Zuko whipped around. He towered over her with a challenging glint in his eyes.

"That's not true! And even if it was, you're a jerk to say that!" Akira shouted at him. Refusing to back down, she tilted her head up and matched Zuko's glare with eyes that seemed like they had taken the challenge, won, and now were mocking him. He looked away for a second and closed his eyes. He inhaled and felt the rage surge through his veins. He loved this rush; the rush of pure power. It fueled his firebending and nothing made him feel more alive. He jerked his gaze back and met Akira's, as small flames erupted from his clenched fists.

"I'm a jerk am I? Well, I guess when Arashi comes back to smash your nose into your skull I'll just sit on the sidelines and laugh." Zuko retaliated and his threat hung in the air and seemed to surround the pair in a fog. A slight shudder went through Akira as she remembered how close she had been to getting seriously injured and the possibility of Arashi coming back to finish what he had started. Zuko saw this and took advantage of it quickly. "You see, Arashi may be stupid but I bet he's planning revenge." He said with a low threatening voice that seemed to belong to a much older man, rather than a twelve year old boy. Akira quickly dropped her gaze and stared at Zuko's shirt. He cupped her chin gently in his finger tips and ran his thumb along her jaw line. He drew her close to him until she looked up. Akira met his fiery gaze once again; this time, her eyes clouded with fear. Without thinking twice he leaned in close to her and whispered in the same deadly tone; "You know; his fist could do a lot of damage to your pretty little face."

Akira stepped back, her eyes wide with shock and hatred. Zuko suddenly realized that he had gone too far and started to apologize when she cut him off.

"I can't believe you would do that! You're such a self-conceited jerk! I thought you were different but apparently I was wrong. I'm going home and don't try and follow me or you'll be sorry." Akira shouted. Tears streamed down the sides of her face but she pushed them away quickly as she shoved Zuko to the side. Zuko watched her walk away, grumbling curses and kicking a rock violently as she went. With a sudden yell of frustration Zuko threw a fire ball at the wall of the shop next to him. A black mark scared the once unblemished wooden panels. He stared at the spot where Akira had disappeared and let out a sigh. He started in the same direction as she did, thinking of ways to make things better between them.

Zuko slammed his door and threw his books in the general direction of his desk. A loud crash resounded through his bedroom and made him cringe. He walked over to inspect the damage his books had done to the vase that normally sat next to the table. Zuko let out a groan when he found the elegant vase smashed to bits. Accepting defeat, he let himself fall against the wall and slide to the floor. He rested his elbows on his knees and began to massage his temples. Closing his eyes tight he groaned at the horrible day he had so far. Suddenly his door opened and startled Zuko out of his thoughts. He looked up a little too quickly; causing him to bang his head on the wall behind him. Zuko quietly muttered a curse and rubbed the new bruise. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up startled, into Mai's concerned eyes.

"Oh spirits Zuko. Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you but I heard a crash and… well… uh. never mind." She explained but trailed off when Zuko glared at her. "I'm sorry I bothered you. It won't happen again." Mai finished quickly as she stood up and turned words the door. Zuko watched her leave for a second, embarrassed that she had saw him bump his head. Suddenly he jumped to his feet and caught Mai by the hand as she walked out the door. She turned in surprise and let out a little squeak when Zuko pulled her close to his chest, wrapping her in a hug.

"I'm sorry. I just had a really bad day." He whispered in his friend's ear. As Zuko released his grip and stepped back, Mai still had a stunned expression on her face. Suddenly it broke into a smile and she led him back into the room.

"You want to talk about it?" She asked as she sat on the edge of his bed. She and Zuko had known each other for years and used to hang out all the time. As they grew older though, Mai's parents 'encouraged' her to hang out with Azula and Ty Lee more because they felt that she needed "to learn how to be more ladylike". Mai stifled a giggle. _Yeah, like Azula and Ty Lee are ladylike._

"What are you laughing at?" Zuko asked as he sat next to her.

"Oh, nothing. Now… I believe you were going to tell me about your horrible day." Mai answered sweetly.

"Right. Well, it started when I was almost late for school. Then I had to sit through Professor Chan's stupid lesson. Then Azula… well… she…" He trailed off, not wanting to share his reaction to Azula's teasing as well as what she had been teasing him about.

"Yeah, I know all that stuff Zuko. But why did you get mixed up with that fight in the first place?" Mai questioned him, ignoring the lack of details he provided about his run-in with Azula. Zuko was surprised at first but then he remembered that Azula, Mai and Ty Lee knew anything and everything when it came to gossip around the school. He wasn't really surprised that she knew he was involved in the fight. _If you want to know about the fight so badly why don't you go find out yourself?_ He thought darkly.

"Come on Zuko! I know you were in the fight but I want your side of the story! Please?" Mai pleaded with him, genuine concern flashing in her eyes.

"Alright fine! Arashi was picking on Remi and Akira decided that it was a good idea to go be the hero and save Remi." Zuko started.

"Wait. Isn't Akira that girl who is staying here while her father, General somethin' or another, recovers?" Mai interrupted.

"Yeah. And his name is General Keigo." Zuko growled angry at Mai for interrupting him.

"Whatever." Mai responded.

"_Anyways_, as I was saying, Akira jumped in way over her head and I pretty much had to pull her out." Zuko finished, giving the least amount of details possible, just to bug Mai.

"Zuko! Come on! I need more info than that! Work with me here!" Mai wailed, hitting him on the arm.

"Alright! Alright. Cool it. I was just joking. Okay… well Akira jumped into the fight and well, let's just say that girl has a mean uppercut." Zuko laughed, remembering the impressive punch Akira had delivered. Mai however didn't find it too amusing and glared at him until he continued the story. "So then instead of watching her back, she starts fussing over Remi and that's when Arashi recovered. Actually, Akira really has fighting potential, she just isn't trained to fight."

"Well that's super, but I don't care about Akira. I want to know what happened to YOU." Mai said crossly.

"Okay, okay. So Arashi jumps her and then ends up pinning her to the ground. So when he tried to punch her in the face I couldn't just stand there and watch. I used that flip move that Ty Lee taught us the other day and it actually worked perfectly. Arashi hit his head hard! It was the funniest thing ever! He curled up on the ground whimpering like a baby. Actually… I think if we had been on a harder surface it would have knocked him out for a couple hours at least! But anyways, Akira was really gonna let him have it, she just didn't know how to…" Zuko continued excitedly but was quickly cut off by Mai.

"Zuko. Stop talking about Akira… You could have gotten hurt or in trouble, but no… you decided go all knight in shining armor and save her from one punch. If she's as tough as you say she is, I'm pretty sure she could have taken a punch. Besides, you've only known her for what? A day?" Mai lectured.

"Look. She's my FRIEND and I wasn't going to let my FRIEND get her face smashed in by some creep!" Zuko shouted.

"Oh, so when did some no name girl from the colonies become best friends with _Prince Zuko_?" Mai shot back.

"So when did my _previous_ best friend become so jealous of my other friends!?" Zuko shouted even louder this time, and his fists beginning to smoke.

"Previous? Does that mean I'm not your best friend anymore Zuko?" Mai asked, her voice breaking with rare hints of jealousy and anger. "Have I been replaced by your new 'friend', _Akira."_

"I never said that…" Zuko whispered in a low, threatening voice.

"I wouldn't worry too much Mai." A poisonous voice drifted from the doorway. "Word is; Zuko and his little 'friend' are in the middle of a small tiff currently."

"What do you want Azula?" Zuko growled.

"I came to get Mai. She's late for an important meeting, but I don't know if she deserves even attending now. Although… since she's the subject we happen to be discussing, it would probably be beneficial if she made an appearance." Azula's sickly sweet voice filled the room.

"She's all yours." Zuko muttered as her pushed past his sibling. "I'm going for a walk."

"Ooo. Touchy touchy. Be careful dear Zuzu! I wouldn't want you to get caught going places you shouldn't!" Azula's voice floated after him.

"Oh don't worry about me! I'm sure I'll be just fine!" He called over his shoulder, his voice coated in a dry sugar. "Spirits, what did I do to you? Did I offend you in some way because so far this day has been hell." Zuko muttered; half to the spirits, half to himself. He reached the end of the corridor and slipped out onto the balcony to his right. Pale moonlight washed over him as he leaned over the edge. The rooftops of the many buildings glowed, reflecting a silver tinge that flowed through the city. Zuko smiled and looked up at the stars. They twinkled brightly and comforted him. His mother used to take him stargazing and now the stars always filled him with warm memories. A gust of warm wind blew past him. Zuko took a deep breath and the hot, humid air filled his lungs. He watched a bank of storm clouds quickly claim the sky to the west of the island. Then, the wind that was swirling around him just a second ago stopped. Zuko watched the menacing clouds advance on him at a frightening pace. The air around him was still. Everything around him was still. The silence started to scare Zuko. The only thing he could hear or sense was his own breathing. Suddenly, he was almost thrown off his feet from the intensity of the gust of wind that hit him. The world went dark as the line of clouds passed over him and hid the moon. Zuko watched the swirling clouds pass bolts of electricity between them. Suddenly, a crack of lightning erupted from the belly of one of the clouds and lit the world once again. Quickly, the city was thrown back into darkness. As the thunder vibrated the entire palace to its core, the heavens let loose. Rain poured from the sky and Zuko was instantly soaked by the constant flow of huge droplets. Another cloud ruptured with an ear-splitting crack as a lightning bolt burst from the sky. Zuko's hairs stood on end and the thunder that followed was so powerful it sent a vibration through his heart that rippled the blood in his veins. He had heard of firebenders who were powerful enough to control lighting, but he couldn't imagine _anyone_ powerful enough to control the monster in front of him. Suddenly a voice rose above the sheets of rain.

"What are you doing out there!" The voice was high pitched, a young girl's. She walked out in the rain toward the insane person who was standing _outside_ in the middle of the thunderstorm, just asking to be struck by lightning. _Okay… this guy is crazy. I'm already soaked from being out here for less than ten seconds. Gotcha! You're coming with me._

Zuko turned and felt the person grab his arm roughly and try to drag him back into the safe, dry hallway.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Zuko protested as he tried to twist away from the small hand that was clamped onto his arm. Her grip only tightened more and she kept dragging him towards the door.

"Shut up and come on! You gonna get yourself killed out here!" The girl shouted as she pulled against her prisoner's struggles. Zuko suddenly stopped resisting and let the girl pull him forward, which resulted in him getting thrown ahead of his captor into the fire lit hallway. The girl grunted in surprise and was dragged forward. She slammed into Zuko, pushing him against the far wall and they both fell to the ground. Zuko didn't move for a second, too stunned to do much of anything else. Slowly registering what had just happened, he found that the girl was pinned underneath him. He quickly stood up and then grabbed her hand to help the girl to her feet. Once he had pulled her up they looked each other in the face and both let out a quick gasp of surprise.

"Akira! What are you doing here?" Zuko asked in surprise.

"Saving you from getting killed by lightning." Akira spat, her eyes darkening. "Although if I knew it was you out there I wouldn't have bothered." She ripped her hands from his and turned away from him. Zuko quickly grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face him.

"Akira…" He began gently.

"Don't touch me! I'm still mad at you!" She snapped, once again twisting away from his grip. With one last glare she turned on her heel and walked down the hall without a glance back. Zuko leaned against a wall for the second time that night and hit the back of his head with a sharp crack. He squeezed his eyes shut, but ignored the throbbing that invaded his brain. _At this rate I'm going to be the one needing an icepack… not Arashi._ A chill crawled over his skin and reminded him of the soaked clothes that clung to him. He sighed and slowly made his way back to his room. After a hot shower and changing into his silk pajamas, Zuko crawled underneath his sheets and listened to the storm rage on. He took a deep breath and closed his fists. Slowly every candle in the room died to just a flicker. Thunder vibrated through the room and caused Zuko to lose his concentration. All the candles were immediately extinguished and the room was thrown into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

The next three days passed uneventfully for Zuko. With both Mai and Akira ignoring him he found himself hanging out with Daichi at recess and kept to himself in class. Zuko was now just as angry at Akira as she was at him. This made her silent treatment a little easier, but Zuko was still bugged by her immatureness. Mai… well, Zuko was used to her silent treatments. She would loosen up in about a week, but until then she just acted like he was another classmate. Akira on the other hand went out her way to ignore him. She purposely sat with Tomoya on the other side of the room and wouldn't even look in Zuko's direction. She would take the long way around to the paper storage and ink cups so she didn't have to pass his desk and even when they were put in a group together she refused to acknowledge him. Finally on Friday after school Zuko couldn't take it anymore. It had been a week already and if she wanted to be angry with him fine, but she couldn't keep ignoring him. So on the way home he followed her at a relatively safe distance. After she turned the corner, he sprinted down the alley to his right and waited for her to appear on the other side. Zuko caught a glimpse of her through the windows of the building that separated them. She was headed towards him, carrying her school stuff in her arms. He tensed and waited for her to appear in front of him. As she turned the corner, she ran right into Zuko's waiting arms. He grabbed her and slapped his free hand over her mouth. She dropped her books in surprise and started to struggle. Akira twisted and turned in Zuko's grasp but he was too strong for her. He dragged her back into the ally and pinned her against the wall.

"Will you keep quiet if I let go of your mouth?" He asked her. She nodded in response and he loosened his grip. As soon as his hand left her lips she screamed. Zuko smacked his hand back over her mouth, a little harder than necessary. He glanced around and made sure no one heard her.

" Really? Look, I'm not gonna hurt you I just want to…" He began to hiss at her but was cut short by a painful kick to his shin. Zuko sucked in some air through his clenched teeth and then pressed Akira against the wall with even more force. "Look. I just want to talk to you but you keep running away. If you cooperate with me then neither of us will get hurt." Akira just glared at him and tried to free herself again. "Okay. We can do this two ways. I release you and then you listen to me and we can settle this like civilized people or I can tie you up and drag you to some hidden location and then you can listen to me there. You decide." Zuko stated and waited for Akira to respond. She gave him a rebellious glare then relaxed and dropped her gaze. He cautiously took his hand away, ready to react if she screamed again.

"Alright, let's hear what you have to say. And it better be good." Akira said. Zuko stepped back, realizing that she wasn't going to try and run away.

"Can we walk and talk? I want to show you something." He asked her.

"Uhh… sure, I guess. It will give me a chance to get the stuff I dropped when you _attacked_ me." Akira answered, as she crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Hey, it got your attention didn't it?" Zuko joked with a smile, but only received a cold glare from Akira.

"Come on. Let's just go." Akira sighed as she disappeared around the corner. Zuko followed her for a second but quickly took the lead and they walked in silence. As they turned the corner Zuko finally broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"Okay." He started with a deep breath. "Before I apologize I would like to know what I did to receive such a harsh silent treatment." Akira looked up in surprise and then her expression fell to an almost depressed look. The fire in her eyes died and she dropped her posture. Zuko expected her to react with the same violence as before and was shocked to see her look so, spiritless. It was like all of the fight had drained out of her and had left her vulnerable and depressed. Akira looked up at him with sad eyes and held his gaze. They stopped walking and stood in the street. A single tear ran down the side of her cheek. She looked small and insignificant, defeated. Zuko wrapped her in a hug and held her close to his chest.

"Shhh…" He soothed. "It's okay…"

"I hate you so much." Akira mumbled as she rested her head in the crook of his neck and wrapped her arms around his upper torso. "You hurt me and scared me. I was afraid that Arashi was going to actually try to get his revenge, but that didn't scare me nearly as much as how easily you played with my feelings. I never expected it. That's why I hate you. You can be so cold and unfeeling. Even when I first met you, I thought you were actually going to kill me. And when we argued and you told me that Arashi's fist could really do some damage… you never even hesitated. Never stopped to think about how much that would hurt me. That's why I ignored you. I didn't want to become friends with someone who can do or say things without feeling guilty about it. I've been through that already and I don't want to go through it again. The hardest part is I really like the rest of you, but I don't know if I can… If…" Akira finished and mumbled the last sentence through tears. She buried her head deeper into his neck and dug her nails into his back. Zuko could feel her tears start to pool by his collar bone and then trickle down towards his arm. He pressed the side of his face in her hair and held her tight.

"I'm sorry… but, I want you to know that I do feel guilty when I hurt you. Ever since my mom died, I've hid my emotions from everybody. I've built up a wall to protect me from Azula, my dad, people who pity me… I guess that's why I look like I don't feel anything. Truth is… that fight with you… it tore me apart." Zuko finished and released Akira when she raised her head to look him in the eye. When their eyes met there was no more anger or sadness, only friendship and a mutual understanding between them. Zuko sighed and with a smile, squeezed her once more before releasing her completely. Akira returned his small smile, then once again grabbed her books and they walked down the street in silence.

They walked up to the palace, but before the entrance Zuko grabbed Akira's hand and pulled her the other direction.

"Whoa… Where are we going?" Akira said surprised.

"You'll see." Zuko grinned mischievously. "Go ahead and drop your books here. We can get them later." Akira rolled her eyes and sighed, but followed his instructions. They walked around the outside of the palace and soon walked single file along a path that had been cut into the bushes. After a while the trail started to ascend at a rapid rate. Soon the path was pretty much nonexistent and they were climbing on the steep, rocky side of the crater. Akira slipped and luckily Zuko shot his hand out and grabbed her arm. She thanked him with a glare for getting her into this in the first place and continued climbing. Akira slipped once again, this time skinning her knee on the jagged side of the crater. She winced in pain as she dragged herself up to the fairly large ledge that jutted out above her. She sat on the edge and checked her bloodied knee.

"Okay… Why are we climbing up here? We've been climbing for almost two hours now Zuko. Couldn't you have picked an easier place to get to?" Akira sighed impatiently, leaning against the rock wall behind her.

"I promise I will be worth it when we get to the top." Zuko smiled.

"The top! Zuko! Have you completely lost it?! There's no way we can climb to the top even if we wanted to! The rock is vertical at the top… or haven't you noticed." Akira snapped at her companion.

"Oh, come on. I didn't think you would be scared… that's no fun." Zuko taunted as he pulled himself up to the next foothold.

"Shut up! I'm not scared! I'm just pointing out the obvious… five more feet up and you will be attempting to scale a vertical wall with no footholds. Then again, I'm not one to underestimate the power of your stupidness." Akira growled as she scrunched up closer to the wall, shrinking away from the steep drop in front of her.

"Ha ha…" Zuko gave a little sarcastic laugh as he rolled his eyes. "Just come up here… I've got something to show you."

"Right. Because there are so many interesting things up _there_." Akira shot back, exaggerating her own eye roll.

"Come on Akira…" Zuko pleaded, his voice suddenly lower, sweeter; more sincere. "If you come up here… I'll… I'll get the cook to make fire flakes for you!" Akira sighed and then slowly stood up and grabbed one of the small rocks that jutted out. With one pull, she gracefully slid up to Zuko's height. She stood right next to him on the same small ledge he was on and then smiled sweetly.

"How did you know fire flakes were my favorite?"

"Lucky guess." Zuko laughed.

"Okay, what on earth did you want to show me?" Akira asked.

"Well… how about a way to get to the top?" Zuko smirked as he lifted his right hand. A part of a rope was wrapped around his fist. It looked very worn and dirty, but secure and strong at the same time. A large knot was tied at the end and the end was frayed and caked with dirt. Akira's eyes widened in surprise.

"Where did you get that?" She asked, her face twisted in confusion and she cocked her head to one side. Zuko leaned back and let the smirk grow wider. Akira just stared at him with a puzzled look and waited for him to answer her question. Zuko leaned a little farther back, now letting the rope support his weight. Akira's eyes widened once again and she saw Zuko look over his shoulder down the cliff side. She followed his gaze and what she saw made her tighten her already fierce grip on the rock ledges. The climb they had just made was even more intimidating looking down at it than looking up at it. She shut her eyes as she moved closer to the rock that she was suspended from. Zuko laughed as Akira glared daggers at his head. Suddenly his eyes sparkled mischievously and he crouched close to the ground. Akira continued glaring at him until she realized what he was about to do. She let out a surprised shout and shot her hand out towards him, but her grasp just met thin air. She was too slow, Zuko had already jumped.

Zuko let out a carefree laugh as he swung through the air over to a larger ledge. He loved this part of the climb to the top the best. Flying through the air was a rush that he couldn't get from anything else. It was like all his worries and hates blew past him with the wind that howled in his ears and disappeared from his life. Another ledge jutted out in front of Zuko and was rapidly approaching. He swung his legs up and they connected with the top of the ledge. Using his momentum he pulled the rest of his body up and soon found himself crouching on the larger ledge. He was careful not to let go of the rope as he slowly turned and stood. He looked across the large space he had just crossed and smiled when he saw Akira's face. _Ha! She looks like she just saw a spirit!_ Zuko thought as he studied her frightened expression. All of the blood had drained away form he face, leaving a pale ghostly like complexion. Suddenly her cheeks flushed to a dark pink and her face twisted into anger.

"ZUKO! You are SO going to pay for that!" She yelled at him.

"Oh yeah? Well I guess you're gonna have to wait because you're probably too scared to even think about crossing!" Zuko laughed as swung the rope to her. Akira caught it deftly and gave him a defiant glare. She gave him a cocky smirk and jumped. As soon as she started to swing though, her smug expression disappeared and it was replaced with pure terror. She let out an ear-splitting scream as she flew through the air. Zuko waited for her on the other side and when she came close to the ledge he reached out and grabbed her arm. With a grunt he pulled her up to the ledge. She immediately let go of the rope and sat on the ledge gasping for breath. Zuko had to stumble over her in order to grab the rope that was slowly sliding back towards the edge. He managed to wrap his fingers around the thick rope but, with his hand entangled in the rope, he lost his balance and fell back over the ledge. He reacted quickly, using his free hand to grab the rope as he swung back over the gorge cut out of the rock. As he swung through the air the only rush he got this time was fright. He looked over his shoulder and realized that the other side was coming up quicker than he expected. Zuko turned away and tensed, getting ready for the unavoidable impact. He clenched his teeth as he slammed into the side of the rock with his shoulder. In the hang time, he flailed his feet around, desperately searching for something to grab hold of. Luckily his feet found solid ground before he was thrown back over the gorge and he righted himself and grabbed the rock wall. Breathing heavily Zuko winced in pain as he tried to rotate his shoulder. _Okay… It 's just a bruise. Nothing worse._ He reassured himself.

"Are you okay?" Akira's concerned yell reached him. He rolled his neck and moved his arms in a couple of circles, attempting to shake off the pain. Through clenched teeth he nodded his head and re-positioned his grip on the rope. He winced in pain as he jumped for a second time. This time he only concentrated on getting to the other side and ignoring his various aches and pains. Once Zuko had successfully landed on the other side, he quickly looped the rope around two metal posts that had been pounded into the rock. Akira idmmediatly stepped up to him and began to check him over for injuries. His hands felt like they were on fire and when she grabbed one to look at his palms he cried out in pain. Zuko could hear her quickly suck in some air through clenched teeth when she inspected his hands. He looked down and groaned when he saw the two bloodied messes that were once his unblemished palms. The rope had cut into his skin and the sharp rocks he had been forced to grab just added to the damage. He gently extracted his hands from Akira's and pressed them against the legs of his pants. The silk was soft and cool against the cuts and soaked up most of the blood. He was left with handprints in the middle of his thighs, but that didn't matter. The pants were old anyways. Zuko finally looked up and met Akira's concerned eyes. He gave a small smile and then started to laugh. Akira suddenly started to laugh as well and soon they were both leaning against the wall laughing their heads off.

"Don't ever do that again!" Akira scolded suddenly serious.

"I didn't do it for fun idiot." Zuko shot back. "If I hadn't grabbed the rope we would've been stuck up here!"

"Oh. Sorry." Akira mumbled, realizing her mistake. Zuko rolled his eyes and then slowly stood up and started climbing up the rock again. He placed each foot in little caves that had been carved out of the rock. Their floors dipped down, so they served as holds for his hands as well. Zuko winced as the bare rock pressed against his raw palms, but he swallowed the pain down and kept climbing. After he was about two feet above Akira's head she followed him without any questions. They slowly made their way up the cliff wall and right when Zuko started to get tired he saw the next ledge. He quickly grabbed the edge and pulled his body up, over the top. He turned and helped Akira up and then grabbed the next rope. Akira groaned and flopped down on the rock with her legs dangling over the edge.

"Can we just rest a couple minutes?" She asked, giving Zuko a pleading look. He sighed and re-wrapped the rope around the rock. He turned and sat next to Akira. They sat in silence for a couple minutes, taking in the view before them. The entire city looked miniature, the people like ants. The three small lake's surfaces glimmered and sparkled in the sunlight. The smaller houses on the outskirts of town were hidden by the shadow of the crater edges, but the inner city house's red roofs shone, and reflected the hot sun. The palace was in the center of a large, protective wall. Two entrances had guards placed at them and more guards stood at the entrances to the actual palace. The intricate gold designs that decorated the palace roof were blinding from the reflections. Zuko saw small bursts of fire come from within the palace's inner courtyard. _Azula must be practicing._ He thought. Servants and maids scurried around, sometimes disappearing in and out of the back door of the palace. A beautiful carriage pulled up to the first gate. Pausing only for a minute, the guards checked it off and sent it on to the larger palace entrance. _There must be a war meeting._ Zuko thought jealously. He had always wanted to attend one, but he wasn't supposed to have anything to do with the war until he turned fourteen. _I think that rule is stupid. I'm going to be a soldier once I turn sixteen anyways. Why can't I start learning about it now? Actually, I'll start out as a captain since I'm the prince, and I'll probably be promoted to upper ranks quickly. Therefore I should learn everything possible right now, so I know what I'm doing when I get to be in command of a whole army. _Zuko reasoned with himself. He smiled at his future. He would be the general of the entire army, or maybe the admiral of the entire navy! And after that… once his father died, he would be Firelord Zuko. Ruler of the Fire Nation. _I will have the ultimate say in things, people will bow down to me and cater to my every command. I will be the one that sits in the throne with my fire surrounding me, rising and falling with my every emotion. And the best part, oh the best part… Azula will be forced to bow down to me. I will have more power than her, and even if she is better at everything, I am going to be the Firelord. I will get the higher position of power eventually and there's nothing she can do about it. No amount of firebending, or perfectness can give her the ultimate seat of power. She's the princess, I'm the prince. I will be the Firelord and nothing will deny me my birthright._ Zuko looked over at Akira and touched her arm. She jumped a little as if he had pulled her out of a day dream. He smiled and slowly got up and stretched. Then without a word of warning Akira jumped up and grabbed the rope. She gave Zuko a quick mischievous smile then jumped. Her laughter echoed off the rock walls and the sun shone on her, giving her skin a healthy glow. Zuko smiled when he saw the pure joy on her face. He watched as she gracefully twisted her body up and landed on the other side. When she turned, all trace of the fear she had expressed at the last jump was gone and it was replaced with a huge grin. She swung the rope back across to Zuko and he caught it wincing a little as the rope pressed against his palms. He tried to ignore it, and jumped. As he swung though the air, all the pain disappeared and he felt the exhilaration push its way up through his core. Soon he reached the other side and as he let go of the rope and wrapped it around a rock, his hands started to bleed again.

"Dammit." He cursed softly as the crimson blood ran down his hands and flowed onto his wrists. Akira looked at him with concern.

"You need to wrap something around those." She said as she took his hands and looked them over. "Otherwise they are just going to keep splitting open." Zuko sighed and looked around, hopelessly searching for a piece of cloth. Obviously finding nothing he let out another sigh and pulled his shirt over his head. He tried to rip some strips off it but his bloodied fingertips screamed in protest. Akira took the shirt from him and quickly tore the fabric into long strips.

"Hold out your hands." She instructed. Zuko did as he was told and started to tell her how to wrap the cloth around his hands.

"Okay, start on the back and then wrap it around the palm fir…"

I know how to do it." Akira cut him off. Zuko watched with surprise as she expertly bound his hands tightly, but loose enough to be able to bend them. Then instead of finishing the wrap and ripping off the extra fabric as Zuko would have done she continued down his wrist and tied it off about halfway down his arm.

"Why'd you do that?" Zuko asked.

"I'll help keep it on better." Akira replied. "Give me your other hand." She quickly repeated her procedure on his left hand and then stepped back and inspected her work. She had wrapped his palms and then once around the base of his thumbs and then around his wrists. Instead of a knot at the end she had twisted the fabric through itself a couple times then pulled it tight.

"How'd you learn to do that?" Zuko asked her amazed. "I thought you weren't so good with the whole treatment of wounds stuff."

"Eh, growing up with your mom as the town nurse taught me how to wrap up quite a few injuries. I'm just a wimp when it comes to my own injuries. Other people's injuries… no big deal." Akira replied with a smile.

"Oh, well thanks. Okay, it's not long now; we're almost to the top." Zuko said as he started to climb up the next set of 'steps'.

"Who built all this?" Akira asked as they reached the next ledge.

"My Uncle Iroh, my cousin Lou Ten and I built it one summer. No one else knows about it." Zuko explained as he got ready to jump across. They both crossed and as they started climbing up again.

"Lou Ten and I come up here and just hang out. Well, before he joined the army…" Zuko started again. "We were best friends, but after he left for the army, well, we pretty much lost contact." _Why didn't you tell her the truth. Why didn't you tell her Lou Ten's dead… _A small voice scolded Zuko in his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's always hard to be separated from your best friend. I know how hard it is." Akira replied. "Hotaru and I were best friends, but I haven't had a chance to even write her a letter since we got here." They climbed the rest of the way up in silence, each lost in their own memories.

"Okay, this is the last jump." Zuko told Akira before he jumped. Akira watched him swing over the gorge and land on the other side with ease. _He is actually really built for a twelve year old. _ Akira thought seeing his upper arm muscles flex to hold him up on the rope. There was no trace of fat on him, but he wasn't totally skinny either. _He's so much hotter than the guys back home. Hotaru would have probably passed out by now._ Akira thought smiling to herself as she remembered her friend's dramatic reactions to a shirtless guy. Zuko turned and smiled a perfect set of white teeth as he swung the rope back over to Akira. After seeing his face, Akira quickly remembered who she was thinking about, after catching the rope she gave her head a shake in an attempt to rid her mind of any thoughts of Zuko being anything more than a friend and then jumped. She swung through the air, and quickly landed next to Zuko. He gave her a quick smile then led the way up the last climb. _Zuko is my friend, no more. And even if I wanted him to be more than a friend… it wouldn't work. He's the Fire Nation Prince and I'm just… I'm just an insignificant citizen. I'm not even sure if I'm considered a citizen. After all, I've got earth kingdom blood in me as well, but no one will __**ever**__ know that. Mom would be arrested if anyone ever found out that my grandparents weren't true fire nation. They only posed as fire nation so they could live in the safety of the colonies. Only Dad, Ryu, Mom and my grandparents_ _know our true family heritage, and I intend to keep it that way. _She thought as she climbed higher.

Zuko reached the top. He pulled himself up and over the lip of the crater and he landed with a soft thud on the other side. He stood on a wide ledge that had a shallow cave carved into the side of the crater. He looked up and saw Akira peer cautiously over the lip before following him. He laughed as her face quickly changed from concern, to surprise, to delight, almost all at once. Soon she was standing next to him, looking out over the island before them. The main island of the fire nation was spread out before them. They faced west, away from the main harbor and looked over the smaller villages and farms at the base of the volcano. The slope of the volcano was steep and as Zuko looked over the edge, it dropped away from the ledge at about a 120o angle. Not quite as steep as the slope they had just climbed up, but steep enough to cause him to watch his feet. He looked over at Akira, whose eyes were wide, taking in the scene before them. The warm ocean breeze floated past them, taking the edge off of the scorching sun. Zuko took a deep breath and filled his lungs with the clean, fresh air. It made him feel so care free and alive. It also reminded him of Ember Island; the island that his family vacationed every summer. _Well, we used to go every summer, before mom died. _He thought. Suddenly the feeling of freedom vanished and all his troubles returned. He sat down and leaned against the wall behind him, closing his eyes as if blocking all of the painful memories of his mother's death. Akira noticed his sudden change of mood and sat down next to him. She smiled and closed her eyes, letting her already tan skin absorb the heat rays. She let out a soft sigh and relaxed all of her muscles, letting those take in the heat as well. They were already sore and stiff from the hard climb up. _It was definatly worth it though. _She thought.

Zuko had opened his eyes and was now studying Akira. Her dark hair was accented with its beautiful reddish glow and Zuko wondered where she had got it from. _I've never seen it before. I've only seen true black, brown, dark brown, and extremely dark brown, like mine, in the fire nation. _His thoughts drifted away, but soon fell into his favorite fantasy of Firelord Zuko. He suddenly remembered the conversation that he had with Lou Ten in this exact spot two years ago.

"_So Zuko… Do you like any girls in your class?" Lou Ten asked with a teasing grin on his face. _

"_Girls? Gross!" Zuko replied giving his cousin a small shove, but a small smile played on his face as he tried to duck Lou Ten's hand whapping the top of his head. _

"_Come on Zuko! You must like one of them! You're gonna have to get used to them eventually. After all, you have royal blood. The ladies aren't gonna be able to get enough of you!" Lou Ten threw his hands in the air, trying to make it sound more exciting._

"_Yeah, yeah, you're gonna be Firelord someday… It's different for you." Zuko said, trying to distract his cousin and get him to change subjects._

"_Firelord or not… As long as you have royal blood the ladies are gonna wantcha." Lou Ten said, putting his arm around his younger cousin. He waved his hand in an arc before them as he continued. "Just think, your gonna step out of the carriage and hundreds of girls will be screaming your name. Zuko! Zuko! Marry me Zuko!" He squealed in a high pitched voice. Zuko finally laughed and joined in. _

"_So, what's your perfect girl Lou Ten?" He asked his older cousin. _

"_Well little cousin, my perfect girl is a nice down to earth girl that isn't afraid to get in trouble sometimes and have some fun. One that isn't obsessed with all the fancy clothes and stuff, but loves me for who I am, not because I'm Firelord. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen. I will marry whoever my father thinks is best fit. Or rather, whoever Firelord Azulon thinks is fit. So, in this case, you're in a better position. You won't be forced to marry strictly according to politics." Lou Ten finished, his usual playful expression, hardened and serious. _

"_Oh." Zuko replied, not sure how to react to his cousin's speech._

As Zuko remembered his past conversations with his cousin, he also remembered the only reason he was now going to be Firelord someday was that Lou Ten died in a battle not too long ago. It left his uncle with no heirs and in a somewhat broken state. Ozai used this to convince Firelord Azulon to overlook the birthright and give the throne to him instead of Iroh. After that things happened fast. Azulon died in his sleep and Mom died the next morning, Ozai became Firelord and Zuko a prince. All these memories ran through his head quickly, he pushed them away and focused back on the original topic, marriage. Zuko, now twelve, had thought of girls as pretty, even going so far as thinking of what it would be like to kiss one, but marriage… no. _Who would be the obvious choice? Mai. She comes from an important family and, well I kinda have a feeling she likes me. I mean, she blushes every time we touch and that other night when I didn't have my shirt on… man. I'm pretty sure she could have given a tomato a run for its money. _He laughed to himself, remembering Mai's deep red cheeks when she first walked in.

"Whatcha laughin about?" Akira asked breaking Zuko away from his thoughts.

"Eh, nothing." Zuko replied, suddenly remembering his current lack of a shirt. _Akira didn't even blink when I took my shirt off._ He realized with a little bit of disappointment.

"Aw come on! Tell me!" Akira whined as she gave him a little shove.

"Nah." Zuko shrugged her off.

"Okay…" Akira sighed, obviously disappointed.

"So, have you met Mai and Ty Lee yet?" Zuko asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah. Ty Lee is okay, but Mai… well I don't think she likes me very much." Akira responded.

"Oh, well Mai is kinda like that. She's not very exciting, but once you get used to her she's cool." Zuko explained.

"Well, she… she kinda yelled at me for taking her pen. I didn't mean to…" Akira started.

"Wait… Mai, _yelled_ at you? For taking her pen? I've known her my entire life and so far she's only yelled at me twice. Once for almost burning her by accident and another for me, well being stupid. But you haven't even known her for more than two weeks and she already yelled at you? That's crazy!" Zuko babbled on, trying to make sense of what Akira just told him. Mai _never_ yelled at _anyone_. "What the hell is wrong with her?" He murmured under his breath.

"Zuko! You don't have to swear about it. I just told you she doesn't like me, therefore, her yelling at me isn't much of a surprise." Akira scolded him.

"Okay, Okay. I'm just surprised. That's all." Zuko explained. Akira rolled her eyes and looked back out over the island. The sun was getting lower in the sky and Akira watched it nervously. She definatly didn't want to try and climb back down the crater wall in the dark.

"Hey Zuko, shouldn't we go back? It's gonna get dark soon."

"And not watch the sunset? That's the best part! You can never see a good sunset from the palace!" Zuko exclaimed looking at her with surprise.

"Well it's just… I don't really want to climb back down in the dark." Akira admitted.

"We'll be fine. Trust me." Zuko smiled.

"Are you sure? I mean it was a pretty hard climb up…" Akira tried again.

"Akira! I'm beginning to think you just don't want to spend a sunset with me!" Zuko joked.

"Okay. Fine, but if I slip, fall and die because of your stupid sunset I hope you feel bad about it." Akira pouted. Zuko laughed and slid close to her. He put his arm around her and gave her a quick hug.

"I won't ever let anything happen to you." He whispered in her ear. Akira looked up in surprise. Zuko smiled and his eyes glowed with warmth. "You are my best friend, and I wouldn't ever let you slip, fall or die."

"When did I become your best friend Prince Zuko?" Akira asked with a small smile. "As far as I know, we've only known each other for about two weeks, and I didn't speak to you for one of the weeks."

"Promise you won't think I'm being silly… or stupid?" Zuko asked Akira with a serious tone.

"Of course, why would I think you're being stupid?" Akira asked, now serious as well.

"Because… because the last time I tried to explain my feelings for a best friend, she didn't listen and… never mind. Forget it." Zuko started, but cut himself off.

"It's okay. I'll listen. And I promise not to laugh, or call you stupid, or anything like that." Akira promised, quickly giving him a hug. It felt weird to feel bare skin pressed against her cheek as she laid her head in the crook of his neck, but it was also kind of nice. His throat vibrated against her head as he spoke.

"Alright, I think the reason Mai doesn't like you is, she's always been my best girl-friend, if you know what I mean, and she has been my best friend ever since Lou Ten left. Now that you've come into my life, you've kinda replaced her. I mean, we even had a little fight about me being friends with you… and well, I guess she's kinda right. You have replaced her." Zuko paused for a second, feeling Akira tense up at his words. "But the thing is, I don't mind it. Mai has always been a great listener, and she's fun to talk to… but you're fun to talk to and do stuff with. For example, Mai would have turned around as soon as we started climbing up here. You on the other hand, trusted me and followed me all the way up here even thought you had no idea what was at the top. And you have a ton more personality." Zuko smiled and gave her a squeeze around her shoulders. "What I'm gonna say next is true. All of it." Zuko warned Akira before continuing. She nodded and let him start again. "You are the most headstrong, most amazing, and most beautiful girl I've ever met in my entire life. You bring out the best in people and to be honest, you're the only person I've met, besides my mother, who can actually bring the true Zuko out." Akira smiled as she recognized her words from the conversation she had with him on their first day of school together. "You know, the Zuko that isn't the fire prince, destined to someday rule the Fire Nation. When I'm with you… I feel at peace with myself, which is a rare feeling. That's why you're my best friend." Zuko finished.

"Zuko, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever told me." Akira whispered. "And just so you know, you're the most undecided, most impulsive, and most amazing guy I've ever met. And that's why you're my best friend."

They sat in silence as the sun slowly sunk down until it was swallowed by the ocean. The clouds above were still painted with color, but even those were fading slightly.

"Thank you for sharing this place with me Zuko. It's really beautiful." Akira whispered.

"You're welcome. If you ever want to come up here, just ask and we can come back." Zuko replied. Slowly he removed his arm from around her and stood up. He stretched and then helped Akira to her feet. They stood for a minute more, watching the colors slowly disappear into darkness.

Zuko and Akira stood on the ledge for a minute longer, but soon turned and climbed back over the edge of the volcano crater. When they landed on the other side, it was pitch black. Akira gave a little squeak of fear when she almost stepped over the edge and a shatter of rocks tumbled down the steep rock face. Zuko grabbed her arm and pulled her back, away from the dangerous drop-off.

"Okay, this is nuts. There's no way we're gonna make it down without light." Akira decided.

"Well, I can make light if you need light." Zuko laughed, holding a palmful of fire in his left hand. The left hand's makeshift bandage hung from his right fist, unwrapped to allow his hand the freedom to firebend.

"Whoa! That's so cool!" Akira exclaimed. "I've never seen a kid bend fire… but then again, you are the fire prince, so I guess that would make sense." Zuko let out a short laugh.

"Yeah, most kids can't actually firebend 'till they're almost fifteen. With the right training though, you can bring it out faster." He explained. "And yeah, as fire prince… I started training at age three."

"Oh, well which is your main weapon? Firebending or broad swords?" Akira asked.

"Uh, firebending… and could you keep the broad swords a secret? I'm actually not supposed to have them." Zuko grinned sheepishly while he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

"Definatly. You should have told me earlier." Akira scolded. "Okay, can we get going? My mom is gonna rip the city apart looking for me if we aren't back soon."

"Yup. Follow me." Zuko said as he grabbed the rope and swung across. Once he landed on the other side, the flame in his hand doubled in size and lit up the entire section of the cliff. He threw the rope back to Akira who caught the rope and swung across as well. They slowly picked their way back down, Akira always close behind Zuko. Once they reached the end of the steep part, Zuko put out his flame and they were surrounded by darkness. After a minute or two their eyes adjusted to the darkness and they started back towards the palace.

"Where have you two been?!" Mayumi exclaimed when Zuko and Akira walked through the front gates of the palace.

"We were just exploring Mom." Akira replied, rolling her eyes. "Zuko was just showing me some parts of the city that I haven't gotten to see yet. Like… like the library!" Zuko bit his lip to keep himself from bursting with laughter.

"Well next time you decide to go _exploring,_ feel free to tell me before hand!" Mayumi said, killing Akira's excuse with one sarcastic comment. She turned on her heel, obviously miffed with her daughter, and walked back towards the wing of the palace that Akira's family was currently staying in. "Be home before midnight Akira!" She called over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner. Zuko and Akira quickly exchanged looks then burst out laughing.

"Wow. Your mom was really cool about that. If my mom had caught us she would have probably sent you off with a scolding about how you shouldn't be hanging out with guys past dark and then dragged me up to my room by my ear!" Zuko laughed.

"Seriously?" Akira asked after catching her breath. "I guess my mom has a little bit more relaxed parenting habits, huh?"

"Definatly." Zuko replied. "Both my parents were pretty strict."

"Well, my father isn't so relaxed. If he hears that I was out with you this late, especially without your shirt… well it won't be good." Akira laughed. Zuko suddenly stopped laughing and his forehead wrinkled as he furrowed his eyebrows in worry.

"Wait. He doesn't trust me?"

"Umm… well. It's not that he doesn't trust you… it's just…"

"Just what?"

"It's just he doesn't want us to get close and then…"

"Then what?! Get married?! Akira, we're twelve… not exactly thinking about getting married yet."

"Zuko! Will you stop jumping to conclusions!" Akira snapped. Zuko shut his mouth and waited for her to continue. "He… he doesn't want us to become friends or even more then friends, because in the end, when we're older; we… we can't be together Zuko. Even just as friends. You'll be the Firelord… and I'll just be an old general's daughter who grew up in the Colonies."

Akira's words echoed through Zuko's head and made him feel sick to his stomach. _Just when I find a friend that seems to truly understand me… I find out she'll be ripped away, just like Lou Ten was._

"Why?" Zuko heard himself whisper.

"Don't you get it Zuko?! I'm just an insignificant colony peasant, and you're the fire prince!" Akira yelled once again. She was angry at the world for being unfair, angry at Zuko for being the fire prince, and most of all angry with her secret heritage that kept her from feeling like she truly belonged somewhere.

"Akira!" A voice sounded through the palace calling the girl home.

"See ya' Zuko." Akira mumbled as she brushed past the prince. Zuko mumbled a sound in response and stalked off in the opposite direction. He made his way quickly down the hall towards the courtyard in which all the fighting was practiced. He entered and stood in the doorway for a minute. Zuko's clenched fists started to smoke. _Stupid stump._ He thought as he lit a stump on fire with a powerful punch. _Stupid bush. Stupid sign. Stupid straw thing. _Soon the entire courtyard was lit up by small bonfires. Zuko watched as the flames licked around the straw figure's head, slowly consuming it. Parts of charred straw and ash fell from it like black snow. Zuko sat and watched his fire eat away at the objects, slowly diminishing them to a fine ash. He thought about Akira. How perfect this afternoon had been. When she laughed, the way her face lit up as she swung through the air, and how her head had fit perfectly into his shoulder… _how all the colors of the sunset reflected in her hair, and those beautiful eyes..._

Zuko sighed and leaned against the doorframe behind him. He watched the fires slowly die, and felt his own consciousness start to die as well. Soon he was fast asleep, sitting in the doorway, his head lolled to one side and his fingers limp.

"Zuko… Zuko! Wake up!" A voice startled him out of his dream. Zuko jumped up and frantically looked around.

"Wha…? Who?" He asked quickly taking the scene in around him. Lily stood in front of him with an amused expression. Dawn was creeping closer, the sky pink with fluffy clouds above.

"Ugh… What time is it?" He asked rubbing the back of his stiff neck.

"Time for you to get up." Lily teased. "What are you doing out here anyways?"

"I… I kinda stayed out late and I guess I never made it up to my room…" Zuko explained as he stretched out his back and legs. "Okay… the ground is NOT comfortable!" He complained. Lily laughed and set her basket of clothes that she was carrying to the side.

"Here, this usually helps crack your back." She laid on her back and with a push, arched her back into a bridge. Zuko tried to copy her, but fell over with his legs trapped beneath him. Lily laughed, causing her to fall as well. They both laid on the ground for a couple minutes laughing and trying to untangle themselves. Lily finally got up and helped Zuko to his feet.

"Okay, not trying that again." Zuko laughed.

"I hope not!" Lily exclaimed.

"So what are you doing here anyways?" Zuko asked.

"Oh, I was just passing by and I happened to glance in here. You however were the last person I thought I'd find in here though!" She replied.

"And you were the last person I thought I'd find speaking to the _Fire prince_ in that tone." Another voice added.

"Mai! What are you doing here?" Zuko asked as he whipped around to find her casually leaning against the wall, twirling a knife between her fingers.

"A better question would be, what are you doing hanging out with a servant girl?" She shot back icily as she slipped up next to him.

"Um… I should go. Good day Prince Zuko, Miss Mai." Lily bowed before quickly grabbing her basket and rushing down the hall. Zuko whipped around and faced Mai.

"What was that all about?" He demanded.

"Oh I don't know. I guess I'm trying to figure out why you're out here at the crack of dawn with no shirt on playing with one of the _maid's helpers_." Mai responded sarcastically. "Honestly Zuko. I don't know what's gotten into you lately."

"Okay… I'll admit. It looks a bit sketchy, but I got home late last night and I never made it back up to my room." Zuko explained.

"Right… so why did you end up here?" Mai quizzed.

"Um… I, I don't remember. But my shirt's right here!" Zuko quickly changed the subject, raising his arm with the shirt on it. _Oh, maybe that wasn't the best distraction._ He thought as he saw a heavy layer of blood crusted on the bandage and sticking to his palm.

"What happened?" Mai asked a hint of worry in her voice.

"Um… I was climbing a tree and I fell, but I grabbed the branch. Therefore, ripping my palms to shreds but it saved me a broken arm." Zuko lied.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Here, let me look at it." Mai fretted over him and began to unwrap the blood crusted shirt from Zuko's arm. _Ha! She believed me! Point for Zuko!_

"Ow! Ow! Mai! Stop!" Zuko cried as Mai poked around the wounds and looked for any serious damage.

"Stop being such a wuss." She scolded him. "It doesn't look too bad. Go have the doctor look at it though."

"Okay!" Zuko quickly replied as he jumped at the chance to escape. "See you later Mai!" he called over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall. _That was close. Mai would have been pissed if she found out that I had been with Akira last night. _He thought to himself.

A couple hours later Zuko sat on the edge of his bed inspecting his hands. The doctor had washed them out and then put some funny smelling cream on them. They felt better, except they would still take a couple days at least to heal.

"Knock Knock!" A cheery voice called outside his door.

"Come in." Zuko sighed. Ty Lee burst through the door, cartwheeling across the room. She landed effortlessly and then walked on her hands to where Zuko sat.

"Hi Zuko! How are your hands?" She asked.

"Eh… could be better." Zuko mumbled.

"Oh. Well do you want to go play?" Ty Lee asked. She looked like she was about to pop from excitement. Her teeth bit her bit her bottom lip, keeping any words from slipping out and she bounced slightly, rocking the entire bed.

"Fine…" Zuko reluctantly agreed, trying to bite back a smile as Ty Lee leapt into the air and squealed with joy.

"Yay!" She exclaimed. "Come on Zuko!" Ty Lee grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room.

"OW! Careful with the hands Ty Lee!" Zuko yelled, wrenching his hand from her grasp.

"Sorry." She apologized. "Come on! I have a surprise!" Zuko sighed and followed her out to the entrance of the palace. She tied a cloth around his eyes and Zuko let himself be guided through the palace gates. Ty Lee pulled off the blindfold and Zuko blinked a couple times, clearing the intense sunlight from his eyes.

"Ta da!" Ty Lee's high voice rang though the air. A pair of black ostrich horses stood in the sun, their soft feathers glowing in the heat. They both wore deep red velvet saddles with gold accents along the edges. A servant stood between them, holding their reins. Zuko looked over to Ty Lee in confusion. _Since when does she ride ostrich horses?_ He asked himself. Ty Lee just smiled in return and then looked the other way. Zuko sighed. Suddenly, one of the ostrich horses raised its head and perked its ears. It looked past Zuko towards the gates and whinnied. The massive creature pawed at the ground, causing the servant to jump away from the powerful legs. Tossing its head the animal knocked the servant off his feet. It galloped past Zuko and knocked him to the side. Ty Lee caught him and tried to keep him from falling but Zuko's larger weight dragged them both down. A cloud of dust puffed around them as they hit the dirt. Zuko swore softly, but quickly rolled off Ty Lee and helped her to her feet. She glared at him but Zuko ignored her and dusted himself off. A laugh broke the silence and Zuko whipped around to see who dared to laugh at the Fire Prince. Akira stood in the clearing holding the animal that had just knocked Zuko down. The ostrich horse had its head lowered and seemed to be purring in delight. Akira rubbed the creature under its chin and ran her fingers through its forelock. She was laughing, her eyes sparking with amusement.

"Well, I was going to invite you to go for a ride with me… but based on that clumsy performance, I don't know if you'll even be able to get in the saddle." She joked, her voice light and playful.

"Okay, I'll see you around Akira." Ty lee said as she walked back to the palace.

"Thanks again Ty Lee!"Akira yelled over her shoulder as she walked up to Zuko and handed him the reins of the ostrich horse. "Here, Morio should behave just fine. I'll take Mirai." Akira walked over to the servant who was holing Mirai and took the reins. Akira gracefully mounted the ostrich horse and rode back over to Zuko. "Come on. We don't have all day you know." She teased. Zuko smirked back and swung himself into the saddle flawlessly.

"Clumsy?" He asked her with a superior tone. "I believe you meant graceful." He studied her for a second with a serious expression. Akira cocked an eyebrow and let a smirk take her lips. She rode past him, never dropping his gaze. As soon as she had reached Morio's rear, Akira shot her hand out and smacked him.

"Whoa!" Zuko yelled as Morio bolted, almost throwing Zuko backwards. Zuko grabbed a fistful of the creature's feathers and fought to stay on. He finally managed to regain his balance and pull Morio to a halt. At the same instant Akira flew by on Mirai, spooking Morio. Morio jumped to the side but Zuko just urged him forward with a yell and a kick to his sides. Morio shot forward and quickly caught up to Akira and Mirai. Akira looked to her side in surprise and found Zuko with a smirk plastered to his face. She matched his expression and they raced through the palace gates and out onto the city streets. Zuko laughed as the rich citizens had to scramble out of the way of the ostrich horses. He looked over to Akira and saw her eyes sparkling and her lips curved into a genuine smile of pure delight. Her hair had come out and streamed behind her like a flag. It whipped to the side as the wind rushed through it and the sun brought out the highlights that rippled underneath the shadows of her darker hair. A single tear ran down her cheek, caused by the fierce wind that dried their eyes. Zuko felt his own start to water and his pony tail start to loosen. A couple of stray hairs tickled his forehead and wind rushed past his ears, blocking out all sounds except his own breathing. Zuko saw the great gates that marked to exit to the city and yelled for Akira to slow down. The pair pulled their ostrich horses up and stopped in front of the line of the guards. One of the men stepped forward and grabbed both of the ostrich horses reins.

"Just _where_ do you _kids_ think you're going?" He asked as he studied them threateningly. Zuko saw Akira shrink back and it made him even angrier at the guard than before. He leaned down and grabbed the guard by the collar and shook him.

"Do you know who I am?" Zuko hissed in the man's face, his young features twisted with anger. The guard looked confused by this new twist that the boy had just thrown into the game and his eyebrows furrowed as he studied Zuko carefully. "I asked if you knew me! Answer the question!" Zuko yelled at the man. He shook him once again and let go when the guard started to speak.

"I… I don't recall. You look familiar… but…" The man stuttered, obviously flustered by Zuko's commanding presence and temper.

"I am Zuko, crown prince of the fire nation and heir to the throne." Zuko cut the guard off. "Now let the lady and I through with no more annoying delays." He commanded the shocked guard. After a second the guard had still not moved and Zuko sighed before leaning close to the man. "Or will I be forced to report you to my father?" Zuko asked dangerously, his golden eyes narrowed. The guard snapped to attention and yelled a command to his men. Slowly the gates opened to reveal a winding path down the crater. With a nod from Zuko they moved through the gate and started down the path. They rode through and down the crater. When they reached the flatlands, Zuko veered off the trail and they raced across an empty field. Finally Akira pulled Mirai up and walked to a shady grove of trees. Zuko followed and soon they sat beneath a large tree.

"I'm sorry that I said we couldn't be friends yesterday." Akira apologized, breaking the silence that had settled between the two.

"It's okay." Zuko replied with a smile. "I kinda knew it was coming all along, because you're right. I have to face the fact that I'm not just a regular kid. I'm the fire prince."

"Yeah, but I guess I'm just mad at my own heritage. I mean, growing up in the Colonies isn't exactly the best for your reputation around here." Akira mumbled, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them. Zuko watched her intent gaze and he swore that she was trying to burn a hole in the ground with her mind.

"This is about Mai isn't it?" Zuko asked, his eyebrows furrowed and his golden gaze deep with concern.

"Yes… no…" Akira shook her head. "I mean, Mai has been hard on me, but it's generally Azula who starts it. I don't think she likes the fact that you and I hang out so much. Ty Lee isn't bad, but she doesn't stick up for me either. Some of the other kids at school feed off of Azula's teasing too…" Akira mumbled, resting her chin on her knees. Zuko sighed and silently cursed Azula.

"I'm sorry Akira." Zuko tried to comfort the girl. She seemed so delicate, as if she would break into tears any second. "If it helps, I don't care what your heritage is or where you come from. All I care is that you're my friend." Akira looked up at him and slowly a smile formed her lips.

"Thanks Zuko. You're the best friend a girl could ever have." She whispered. Zuko slid close to her and wrapped her in a big hug. Zuko took a deep breath and he could smell her shampoo in her dark hair. It smelled like fire lilies with a hint of the ocean air and Zuko drank it in as he held her in his arms. Little pieces of her hair tickled his face and Zuko squeezed her close, burying his face into her soft hair and neck. Akira laughed and kissed him on the cheek. It took the young prince by surprise and he pulled back with a shocked expression on his face. Akira blushed a deep red and looked away.

"What was that for?" Zuko questioned gently, starting to wish he hadn't pulled back.

"I don't know…" Akira shrugged still blushing madly and refusing to look up at him.

"Well… I, I thought it was kinda nice." Zuko stammered, mentally smacking himself a heartbeat after the words left his mouth. _Stupid… Stupid idiot. That was possibly THE most awkward thing to say in the history of awkward things…_

"Oh. Well I just thought, that… well. You did?" Akira interrupted his thoughts, obviously having just as many issues with her word choice as Zuko.

"Yeah…" He replied. By now, Zuko's blush matched Akira's and this time he was the one who looked away. The two twelve year olds sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Soon, the sun was slowly crossing the sky and both kids had recovered from the awkward moment. Zuko sat with his back to Akira and Akira was wrapping the ribbon back around his ponytail.

"There. Good as new!" She proclaimed triumphantly. Zuko smiled and turned back around.

"Thanks… I guess I'm not very good at putting my hair up without a mirror." He grinned sheepishly. Akira laughed, remembering his misshapen ponytail he had created moments before. Akira ran her fingers through her own hair and pulled it all back into a bun.

"Come on." She sighed as she stood up. "We better get back for dinner." Zuko followed her and sighed as he remembered that his father had invited some of his top generals and their families to the palace for dinner tonight.


	5. Chapter 5

Six months later, Zuko stood at his father's right hand while the various generals greeted the Fire Lord and his family. Fire Lord Ozai had decided to host a large party in honor of the conquering of yet another Earth Kingdom city. The victory happened to be lead by General Keigo… his first attack after recovering for a couple months. Akira had been depressed for a couple days when he had returned to the earth kingdom, but she had brightened up slightly when Firelord Ozai had invited Akira, her mother, and Ryu to stay even though General Keigo had returned to war. As he thought about this, Zuko stood on his tiptoes and looked over the crowd before him. He searched for the dark brown hair with red highlights that belonged to his best friend. When he craned his neck to see around a particularly large general and Ozai slapped a hand on his son's shoulder. Zuko jumped and looked back in front of him.

"…and this is my son, Prince Zuko." Ozai introduced and the general nodded to the young prince. Zuko bowed and nodded a short greeting in return. Ozai dismissed his children with a glare.

"Azula, Zuko… you may go find the rest of the children." He muttered as he put on a smile and greeted another general. Azula and Zuko quickly bowed and ran off. They pushed through the crowd and looked for their friends. Zuko looked around for Akira, but couldn't find her anywhere. Suddenly he was pulled backwards and Zuko whipped around to find Azula with a firm grip on his sleeve.

"Come here brother. You're going the wrong way." She commanded. Zuko rolled his eyes but followed his younger sister. They reached the hall and pushed through the guards at the door. The siblings sprinted down the hall and stopped in front of a large, elegant door. The guard recognized them and slid open the door. He bowed deeply as they passed, but neither child acknowledged him. They stepped into a large room that was alive with children of all ages. The kids ran around and were so loud Zuko could barely hear himself think. A young captain that Zuko recognized attempted to control the madhouse, but was failing horribly. A group of boys came up behind him and followed him throughout the room. The captain was oblivious to his stalkers and then, without warning, one of the boys ran up and tugged on the man's belt. It came loose and his pants started to drop. Zuko suppressed a snort of laughter as the furious captain hopped after the fleeing band of troublemakers. _Zhao deserves every bit of it._ Zuko thought to himself. He and the man had a record of not getting along well in the past and Zuko didn't think it was about to improve anytime soon. Zuko looked around and found Mai standing alone at a table looking somewhat depressed. He sighed and wove his way through the crowd toward her. _She may not like Akira, but I'm still her friend… _Zuko decided.

"Hey…" He greeted the girl as he sat next to her.

"Hey." Mai responded with a look of surprise. Zuko smiled and raised his eyebrows.

"So whatcha doing?" He asked. Mai laughed and stood up.

"Not sitting here. Let's go grab something to eat." She replied. Mai grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. To Zuko's surprise she didn't let go of one of his hands and the pair ended up walking hand in hand over to the long table of fine food. They quickly gobbled up some turkeyduck and then started to talk. Zuko apologized for hanging out with Akira so much even though he didn't mean it. _What Mai doesn't know won't hurt her. _He reasoned with himself. Mai forgave him and smiled. Zuko grinned back and caught a glimpse of pink over her shoulder. Ty Lee ducked behind a boy when she realized that Zuko had seen her and he narrowed his eyes.

"Why is Ty Lee watching us?" Zuko demanded, feeling eyes on his back as well. He turned around and saw Azula casually talking to one of the older guys, but Zuko had a suspicion that she had just been watching them as well. "What's going on?" He demanded again. Mai looked at him confused before taking the side of his face in her hand and smiling.

"Why does it matter Zuko?" She asked him. Zuko was still too stunned to speak and he just stared into her gray eyes. Mai gave him a small smile and suddenly Zuko felt her lips pressed against his own. Just as he finally registered what was happening, Mai pulled away and smiled. Zuko's lips parted slightly as he stared at her in shock. Suddenly his face broke into a smile and he kissed her again. A high pitched squeal broke the moment and Zuko pulled back. He looked up to find Ty Lee jumping up and down, and Azula wearing an amused smirk. A girl in a deep crimson outfit caught his eye as well, but she was in the shadows and Zuko couldn't see her face behind the curtain of dark hair. He could feel her dark gaze on him and his blood chilled. As if she knew that Zuko had spotted her, the girl turned and disappeared into the crowd. Mai cupped his face in her hands once again and Zuko returned his attention to her. He smiled and kissed her cheek, desperately wishing for the prickling sensation of being watched to disappear. Mai gave him a hug, but he ended it quickly and Zuko stood up and walked away, muttering a quick goodbye to Mai. He could sense Mai's shock, but it didn't matter, all he cared about was finding the girl that had caused the chill to run down his spine.

Zuko pushed through the crowd of kids and searched the crowd for the girl in the crimson dress. He finally spotted her talking to the school troublemaker, Tomoya, in the corner. Her back was to him and Zuko snuck up behind her. He put a hand on her shoulder and roughly spun her around. The girl had a shocked expression and she let out a small squeak of surprise when Zuko grabbed both her shoulders to stop her momentum. He glared at her for a second before suddenly recognizing her.

"Akira!" He exclaimed surprised. He had barely recognized her. Akira wore her hair in a messy bun with some hair in front loose and parted to the side, hiding part of her face. She had a beautiful silk dress that fit her perfectly, but her make- up was dark and she looked much older. Her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were wide. Before Zuko could continue, Tomoya stepped between them.

"Um… sorry, but I was talking to her first." He growled. Zuko was about to snap back an insult but Akira cut him off.

"It's okay. We can finish our conversation later Tomo." She interrupted the potential fight. Tomoya gave Zuko one last glare, but nodded to Akira and disappeared in the crowd.

"Why were you hanging out with him?" Zuko demanded. Akira and Tomoya had been slowly becoming friends over the past month or so and Zuko hated it.

"Well I went to find you, but you were a little busy." Akira retorted, referring to his kiss with Mai.

"I didn't kiss her! She kissed me first!" Zuko protested. Mai and Akira weren't exactly friends at the moment, due to a fight earlier in the week and it made the situation that Zuko was in even more awkward. Zuko still hadn't decided on his feelings for either girl and it was starting to cause problems.

"Zuko… I don't really care." Akira began again a little more gently. "Honestly, if you like Mai that's perfectly fine with me." She smiled and blushed a little. "Besides, I've got a little crush on a guy already." Zuko looked at her sparkling eyes and realized with a sinking dread that she meant Tomoya. It was times like these that he wished they didn't tell everything to each other. _I'm pretty sure I could have done without knowing that Akira likes Tomoya._ Zuko thought rolling his eyes. Akira noticed him roll his eyes and she punched him in the shoulder.

"Zuko! If you can _kiss_ Mai, I can have a little crush on someone." She scolded and Zuko glared at her while rubbing the pain away from his shoulder.

"Um… OW!" Zuko complained. Akira laughed and raised an eyebrow. Zuko couldn't keep his hurt act up and his face broke into a grin. "Just kidding…" He mumbled, trying to ignore the throbbing in his bicep. "But seriously… Tomoya?" He asked. Zuko earned himself another punch. He groaned in pain and aimed a swat at Akira's head. She easily dodged him and ran off laughing. Zuko grinned despite his pain and watched her weave between the kids, before disappearing all together. Akira was his best friend and they spent almost every day together. They even had a double birthday party because they had both turned thirteen in the same week. The young prince loved every minute they spent together and believed that she was the only thing keeping him from going insane. Azula was becoming more perfect and even more evil every day now, and Ozai, his own father seemed to blow up at him for the littlest things. Zuko's only escape so far had been Akira and his Uncle Iroh. The now retired general returned home a few weeks ago and the uncle and nephew soon grew to love each other's company. _Now you have Mai too…_ A little voice in Zuko's mind whispered. Zuko dismissed it knowing that more Mai meant more Azula and Ty Lee as well. He didn't know if he could handle that. _But Akira seems to be liking her time with Tomoya…. _the voice reminded. Zuko willed his conscience to shut up and he looked around the party. Azula, Ty Lee and Mai were in an intense conversation and Zuko sighed, knowing it was about him. He wandered over in that direction, hoping to hear what they were saying. It turned out to be a bad choice because Ty Lee immediately popped up next to him and dragged him back over to Mai. Azula smiled and pushed her brother into a seat next to Mai and exchanged a glance with Ty Lee.

"I guess we'll leave you two alone now." She shrugged as Mai shot her a worried look. The two girls 'left', leaving Zuko and Mai alone once again.

"So…." Zuko started, refusing to look at Mai.

"Why did you run off?" Mai demanded. _Agni, this girl sure gets to the point._ Zuko thought, kind of wishing for the awkwardness to be two-sided.

"Well… you see…" Zuko said as he desperately racked his mind for an excuse, rather than telling Mai that he had followed a mysterious girl who turned out to be Akira. "Um…"

"You were with Akira weren't you?" Mai guessed.

"Okay… so I ran into Akira and we talked for a second, but that's not why I went over there." Zuko admitted. Mai cocked an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.

"I left because… because I just wasn't sure about this." Zuko decided. "I didn't know how I felt about kissing you. I mean you are one of my best friends and it almost seemed… weird." As the words tumbled out of his mouth, Zuko realized that what he said was true. He also felt a little weird because Mai had just taken his first kiss… but he wasn't about to let her know that.

"Oh… well what do you think now?" Mai asked.

"I… I think…" Zuko paused. _What did he think?_ "I think we should just stay friends for now… but I wouldn't be opposed to trying us when we're older." Zuko finally decided. The pained look on Mai's face was almost too much for him to bear and just as he thought she was going to start to cry, she collected herself and gave him a small smile.

"Okay Zuko…" She agreed softly. "I'll wait for you." She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss before standing up and walking over to Azula and Ty Lee. Zuko narrowed his eyes and stared at the floor. _Did I make the right choice?_ He asked himself. _Yeah… I think so._ Zuko sighed and put his head in his hands. _What's stopping me?_ Zuko knew the answer but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. _Akira…_ A voice whispered in his head.

"Oh Agni…" Zuko whispered to himself. "I'm in love with my best friend…" Suddenly all the torches blew out and the room was pitched into darkness. The room was silent for a few seconds before several war whoops erupted from the center of the room. Zuko could hear Captain Zhao yelling some inappropriate words and the shouts of the boys turned to laughter. Zhao's voice was starting to get desperate and Zuko almost felt bad for the man. _Almost._ The shouts ceased and Zuko heard the boys run to a different part of the room laughing like mad men. Zuko sighed and lit the torch near him. A faint glow spread throughout the room. Zhao was tied up in the middle of the room with his own clothes and when he met Zuko's eyes, Zuko swore the man was going to burst from anger. The Prince sighed and with a few fire blasts the room was lit once again. He poked his head out of the door and told the guard outside to send a servant to help Captain Zhao. Zuko returned to the party and most of the kids had retreated to small groups spread around the room. Mai, Azula and Ty Lee stood in the middle of several older boys and Zuko felt no desire to see what they were talking about. As he turned to leave, Zuko felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"Where you goin?" Akira asked as he turned around. Her make-up was dark and it gave her appearance an edge but her eyes sparkled and Akira wore a smile that made Zuko want to admit everything to.

"Eh… I've had enough tonight." Zuko shrugged, not sure what to tell his friend. Akira's smile disappeared and a concerned expression replaced it.

"Zuko… is something wrong?" She asked.

"No. I'm fine." Zuko lied, putting on a fake smile. "Just a little tired, that's all." Akira narrowed her eyes and waited for the truth. That's what he hated, Akira could always tell when he was lying. "Okay! You caught me! There is something wrong. Happy?" Zuko growled, suddenly angry. Akira dropped her gaze and a pained look passed her face.

"Akira…" Zuko began again gently. "I'm not mad at you…" Akira looked back up at her friend and Zuko saw hope in her large brown eyes.

"Okay. Wait here." She commanded before running off. Akira returned a minute later and grabbed Zuko's hand. She pulled him out the door and started to run down the hall. Zuko kept up her fast pace and almost fell when she ducked into a courtyard, dragging him with her. She let go of his hand and closed the door behind them. Zuko looked around in awe and realized that they were in his mother's garden, the same place he had first met Akira. The stars sparkled above, but tiny little lanterns floated in the clear pond as well and cast a glow on all the flowers and trees.

"Wow…" Zuko whispered as he walked around the paths and looked around. "How'd you do this?"

"I didn't." Akira admitted. "Uncle Iroh did." Zuko looked at her in surprise and then suddenly remembered what today was, Lou Ten's birthday. "I saw him out here earlier and I asked what he was doing…" Akira continued. "He told me about Lou Ten." Zuko shut his eyes, remembering his cousin. "I'm sorry Zuko." Akira whispered as she stepped close to him. Zuko turned and wrapped his arms around his best friend. Akira held him close and Zuko felt a tear slip down his cheek.

"I miss him so much." Zuko whispered.

"It's okay…" Akira soothed, she squeezed him close once more before letting go. "I know if he could see you now, he'd be proud to have you as a cousin." Zuko smiled and nodded. He wiped the tear away and looked at the lanterns. They floated in the pond and occasionally collided, bouncing off into another direction.

"Thanks." He whispered. Akira smiled and sat at the edge of the pond under a cherry blossom. Zuko kneeled next to her and he remembered sitting in this exact spot with both his mom and Lou Ten when he was younger. Zuko sighed and sat down, leaning against the tree.

"So what's up with you and Mai?" Akira asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Zuko sighed and looked at Akira. Pure curiosity filled her expression and she looked at him expectantly.

"Nothing." He replied. Akira laughed a little and waited for the truth.

"Come on Zuko… I saw you guys kissing so obviously it's not nothing." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, there might have been something for a little bit." Zuko admitted. "But there's nothing now."

"Why? Did you guys fight or something?" Akira asked, concerned.

"No…" Zuko mumbled, not really wanting to share the details.

"Well then what happened?" Akira demanded.

"I told her that it wasn't going to work right now, okay?" Zuko shot, angry at Akira for asking, at himself for liking her and not Mai. Angry that he was so confused about everything. Zuko noticed that Akira had backed off when he yelled at her and he immediately felt bad. "I told her that we should wait till we are older… cause I wasn't sure right now." Zuko clarified in an easier voice. Akira relaxed again and looked at him with large eyes.

"Why?" She asked softly. "I thought you liked Mai."

"I do." Zuko confessed. "But I like someone else more…" He looked up and met Akira's eyes. They reflected the little lanterns and Zuko was lost in the brown eyes. He realized that they had shots of gold that broke through the deep mahogany and he saw the curiosity flicker in them as Akira waited to hear who the other girl was. Her make-up was a deep brown that covered her eye lid and black rimmed her eyes at the base of the eyelashes. Her skin was smooth and her cheeks and nose were a little sunburned. Her bangs were cut on an angle, and most of her hair was parted to one side. Her dark hair hung loose in front and hid part of her face while the rest of her hair was gathered up at the back of her head in a messy bun. Her dress was s deep crimson and looked beautiful on her. Zuko took a sharp breath and looked away. He couldn't tell her that he loved her. Akira was his best friend, _not_ his girlfriend. _Mai liked you when you were best friends with her…_ A small voice whispered in his mind and Zuko squeezed his eyes tight to try and silence his annoying conscience.

"Who is it Zuko?" Akira asked finally.

"I can't tell you." He mumbled, avoiding her eyes.

"Can't tell me!? Why?" She exclaimed.

"I just can't." Zuko muttered. He felt weird keeping something from Akira, but he couldn't tell her. Not yet.

"Fine." Akira grumbled. She turned away from him so her back was facing the prince. Zuko looked up, scared that she was actually mad at him until he caught a glimpse of her playful smile.

"Come on. You wouldn't want to know anyways." He joked, standing up. Zuko stretched and flicked a flame at one of the lanterns that had gone out. It lit again and Akira looked up in surprise.

"Hey Zuko, will you firebend? I love watching it." She asked suddenly. Zuko thought about it for a second before bringing a palmful of fire between them.

"Like this?" He asked.

"Yeah…" Akira replied, hypnotized by the fire that danced in Zuko's hand. He closed his hand and the little flame went out. He heard someone call his name from down the hall and he pulled Akira to her feet.

"Come on. It's time to go." Akira nodded and followed her friend across the garden and down the hall to the party. When they reached the crowd, they wished each other a good night and went their separate ways. Zuko heard his name again and he followed the voice through the thick of the crowd. When he popped out on the other side of the mob, Zuko came face to face with Uncle Iroh.

"Ah! There you are my nephew!" The old man exclaimed, wrapping the prince in a tight hug. Zuko grinned and wriggled his way free.

"Hey Uncle Iroh…" He smiled.

"I just wanted to wish my favorite nephew a good night." Iroh laughed, patting Zuko on the shoulder.

"Good night Uncle Iroh." Zuko laughed before he quickly turned around and hastily made his way to his room.

The next day, Akira and Zuko were in the training courtyard and Zuko practiced his firebending in the clearing while Akira sat on top of one of the walls and watched. Several targets and dummies were set up, along with various obstacles and haystacks around the yard and many bore scars and were burned. A couple of Mai's knives were still stuck in many of the dummies and spots had been burned around them. Zuko kicked an arc of fire in the air and spun. He pretended to block an attack before he punched a ball of fire in the air. Akira watched closely and Zuko could feel her eyes tracing every movement he made and every muscle that flexed throughout his body. Zuko finished the set and paused for a moment to catch his breath. Akira had asked to come work out with him this morning and they had finished stretching over an hour ago. Zuko felt the sweat run down his bare back and a couple loose hairs tickled his forehead. He snuck a glance at Akira before concentrating on regulating his breathing. She wore a pair of his workout pants and her white under clothes stood out against her nicely tanned stomach and arms. All of her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and even her bangs were pinned back. Zuko laughed to himself as he realized that they matched outfits. After he regulated his heart and breath Zuko tried the set that he and Azula had been taught last week. He had worked on it for hours yesterday and felt like it was almost perfect. He ran a hand in an arc towards to the ground and a small tail of fire followed it. When his fingers almost touched the ground Zuko shot his hand forward and a powerful jet of fire erupted from his pointed fingers, he quickly recoiled his arm and shot a punch of fire with his other fist. He twisted and felt his foot almost slip, but Zuko regained ground so fast that the mistake was almost invisible and he followed through with the intended kick. A perfect arc of orange fire lit up the courtyard and Zuko landed solidly on two feet. A smirk formed his lips but quickly disappeared when Akira spoke.

"You should widen your stance." She commented casually. Zuko spun around and glared at her.

"What are you talking about?" He growled. _What does she know about firebending? Compared to her I'm a master!_ Zuko thought annoyed.

"I'm just saying that you should start out with a wider stance…" Akira shot back defensively. Seeing Zuko's disbelieving expression she continued. "I saw your right foot slip a little when you went in for that last kick and if you started out with a more solid stance that wouldn't have happened." She explained. Zuko studied her for a moment more before her words started to make sense. He tried the set again, following Akira's suggestion and taking a more solid stand when he started. This time, the moves were graceful and flawless. Zuko smiled and his eyes lit up. Akira laughed and walked over to her friend.

"Told you." She said with a smug smile. For once, Zuko wasn't bothered by being shown up, rather, he was intrigued.

"How'd you know?" He asked in amazement.

"I don't know." Akira admitted with a shrug. "Instinct I guess." Zuko studied her for a moment more before an idea started to form in his mind.

"Your dad is a firebender… right?" He asked.

"Yeah." Akira shrugged.

"Is you mom?" He continued.

"No…" Akira replied, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"That's what I thought." Zuko dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. "So, do you want to try some basic moves?" He asked with a smile. Akira's eyes sparkled with delight and she nodded enthusiastically. They stood side by side and Zuko moved slowly through some of the basic punches and kicks. Akira followed easily and they moved quickly through the basic sets. After about three or four different sets, Zuko started to repeat them at a little faster pace. Akira kept up easily and soon they moved in synch, each punching and kicking bursts of invisible fire. Zuko stopped and they turned to one another and bowed deeply. Akira giggled and Zuko looked up with a grin. He met her sparkling eyes and saw the pure joy in her expression.

"How did that feel?" Zuko asked his friend.

"Amazing!" Akira responded enthusiastically. Zuko saw the gold in Akira's eyes again and his mind started to work. _It's rare for girls to inherit the ability to bend, especially if they don't have gold eyes…_ He thought silently. _But there are traces of gold in Akira's eyes, and she moved through those sets easily. _Zuko studied Akira as she practiced the basic punches and kicks, executing them perfectly. Her eyes blazed with concentration and when she finished all four sets flawlessly, she bowed with a smirk.

"Hey Akira, you want to try some more?" Zuko asked. Akira nodded and Zuko put her through some more sets. The pair worked on sets together almost every day for almost a month and Akira learned quickly. She even mastered some combinations that Zuko hadn't learned for several years after he began training and Akira enjoyed every minute of it. School had started again and they had to cut back on their practices due to the amount of homework. Today however, neither Zuko nor Akira had homework and they had taken the afternoon to climb up the side of the crater. The pair sat on the cliff edge and looked out over the fields and houses outside the capital city.

"So do you ever wish that you could actually firebend?" Zuko asked suddenly breaking the silence that had fallen over them earlier. He sat cross-legged, facing the sun and Akira was on her back, throwing her bracelet into the air and catching it again. She tipped her head backwards and looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?" She shot back, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I just wanted to know if you ever wished that you were a firebender." Zuko shrugged, ignoring her harsh tone. "I mean you love to practice with me…" Akira sighed and sat up.

"Yes. I do wish I could firebend, but my dad has forbidden me to even try. I think it's because he doesn't want me to become a soldier." She admitted softly. Zuko remembered the law that was passed under Firelord Azulon that forced every firebender, man or woman, to join the army or navy at age sixteen. Zuko looked back at Akira and his blood chilled at the thought of her going to war. "I wish that I could firebend though." She continued. "I feel like it's in me and it's dying to come out, but I'm afraid of what my dad would say. After all, Ryu can fire bend a little and he's joining the army next month already, but I don't think my parents would be able to give me up as well." Akira explained. Zuko felt sorry for her because the energy inside her must be begging to be released, but she can't firebend and set it free because of the stupid law.

"What about if you learn how, but keep it a secret?" Zuko suddenly blurted. Akira looked at him in surprise and their eyes met. An idea began to form between them and finally Akira was the one to give it a voice.

"Would you teach me to firebend?" She asked softly. Zuko nodded slowly, realizing that what they were about to do had serious consequences if they were caught. If they were caught, Akira would be forced to join the army or she would be killed. Keeping your bending a secret was a serious felony in the eyes of Firelord Ozai and he took the punishments seriously. Suddenly the danger made their idea even more exciting and the two thirteen year olds exchanged a grin.

"Yes Akira… I do believe that it's time for you to learn firebending." Zuko agreed. The sun was still well above the horizon and the pair stood up. Zuko lit a flame in his hands and held it out to Akira. She slipped her hands under the flame and matched Zuko's form. They stood for a heartbeat with Akira's hands resting on Zuko's and the flame held by both of them. Slowly Zuko took a breath and retracted his grip. Akira stood with the flame cupped in her open palms and a smile formed her lips. She stared at it for a moment before excitedly looking up at Zuko. Her eyes shined in delight and she put more energy into the flame. It grew and licked at the sky hungrily, consuming the oxygen. She moved her hand in a small circle and the flame followed, swirling around her fingers. Akira played with it, growing it and shrinking it, shaping the fire into a long line and forming a small ball. Slowly she let it die and then she looked up at Zuko excitedly.

"I did it!" She exclaimed. Zuko nodded approvingly and smiled.

"Try to make it on your own now." He encouraged. Akira looked back at her open palm and he saw the tendons in her hand and arm flex, pushing the energy into her palm. A little flame appeared and it grew quickly. Akira stared at it in delight and put it out slowly by closing her hand into a fist.

"I'm a firebender!" She squeaked. Zuko laughed as she jumped into his arms and gave him a tight hug. He lifted her up and spun her around. Akira laughed and when Zuko finally put her down she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Zuko." She whispered. He smiled and leaned close to her. His forehead pressed against hers and Zuko could taste Akira's hot breath on his lips. He longed to close the gap between them, but Zuko couldn't move. He felt Akira's hands slide around his neck and pull him down. Their lips met for a second before Akira quickly pulled away. She stepped back and looked away, her cheeks tinted with a deep blush. Zuko stepped closer to her and reached out to touch her shoulder but Akira quickly brushed past him and climbed over the wall behind him. Zuko spun around and jumped up to the ledge, but saw that Akira had already swung across the first gap in the path. Zuko quickly jumped down to the ledge and was about to yell at his friend to swing the rope back over. To his surprise Akira had waited for him and swung the rope back over. Zuko caught it and swung across, but Akira had already moved on. They continued like that until the trail didn't have any more gaps, then Akira started down the rocky climb without waiting. Zuko followed in silence, not sure what to think. _She just kissed me… so why is she running away?_ Finally they reached the trail and Zuko ran to catch up with his friend. Akira kept walking, ignoring his presence. An unusual silence hung over the pair as they walked towards the palace and Zuko was beginning to feel frustrated. _What's wrong with her?_ He wondered as he searched her face for emotion. Akira's face didn't even show a flicker of acknowledgement and Zuko was about to burst. He wanted to yell at her, kiss her again, make her laugh… anything. Anything would be better than the awkward silence that hung over them. They reached the palace gates and Akira continued her rapid pace through the front gates. Finally Zuko grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. He looked at her for a moment, losing himself in her deep amber eyes. They stared at each other for a few more heartbeats before Akira broke the stare and dropped her gaze to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked softly, leaning a little closer to her. Akira shut her eyes and turned away.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in a hoarse voice. Zuko retreated a little, taken by surprise.

"What for?!" He demanded suddenly. Akira flinched and Zuko immediately regretted his harsh tone.

"For kissing you." Akira explained softly, still refusing to meet the prince's gold eyes. "I shouldn't have… I don't know what I was thinking…" Zuko stared at her with a confused expression.

"Why not?" He asked. Akira finally met his eyes with her own eyes clouded with sadness.

"Because you're supposed to be with Mai." She snarled, a flash of anger finally igniting the fire in her eyes and clearing away the haze of sadness.

"What are you talking about?" Zuko demanded, stepping closer to her.

"I'm talking about how you and Mai are destined to be together." Akira replied, her voice deep with frustration. "It doesn't matter what either of us wants…. Your dad will want you with Mai, Mai's parents want you together, Mai wants you, everybody at school want you two together; they even had bets to see how long it would take you guys to kiss! Face it Zuko, the Fire Prince can't be with a girl that grew up in the colonies." Zuko snarled and looked away, cursing the world. He felt Akira's hand on his shoulder and he looked up. Her face was calm once again and sadness once again clouded her eyes. She nodded a farewell before turning away. Zuko watched her walk away for a moment before running after her. When he reached her, Zuko spun her around and pressed his lips to her. He held her tight against his chest and tasted her sweet lips. After a few more heartbeats, he pulled his head back but still held her close. Akira's lips were still parted and her eyes were wide with shock. Zuko grinned gave her another quick kiss.

"I don't care what anyone thinks. I love you." He whispered as he pulled back. Akira smiled and gave him a hug.

"I love you too Zuko." She whispered into his neck. "You know I always will." Zuko breathed a sigh of relief and held her tight to his chest.

"Zuko!" A shout startled both of them. Zuko whipped around to find Azula, Ty lee, and Mai walking towards them. He growled in frustration, but slowly released Akira and pushed her a little behind him. Akira shot him a glare, but Zuko didn't notice. He had locked eyes with Mai and the two studied the other's expression, searching for their emotions. Suddenly Zuko realized that Mai at the head of the group and she was flanked by Azula and Ty Lee. This wasn't normal… He recognized quickly.

"What are you doing?" Mai snarled. Zuko narrowed his eyes for a moment before he felt Akira move away from him and walk up to Mai. He grabbed for her hand but Akira shook him off and continued walking toward Mai. She stopped a couple feet in front of the other girl and glared at the young knife thrower. Zuko could feel the intensity in the air between the two and he was afraid a fight would break out any second. He saw Akira glance back at him with large eyes that sparkled with regret and apology. He took a step forward, but Akira had already turned back to Mai.

"What do you want?" Akira snapped. Surprise flashed in Mai's eyes but she kept up her calm composure.

"I want you to stay away from Zuko." She requested coolly as she inspected her black fingernails.

"And what if I don't?" Akira growled. Mai looked up and her eyes narrowed.

"You'll regret it." Mai replied darkly. Akira opened her mouth to give a sharp retort, but thought better of it and closed her lips. Zuko silently thanked her before stepping in between the two girls.

"Mai…" He began gently, feeling Akira's glare chill his back. Zuko ignored it and continued his quest for peace. "Mai. I love…" Zuko started to admit, but was cut off by Akira.

"He loves you Mai." The statement echoed around the clearing and everybody stared at Akira. She nodded to Mai and brushed past Zuko without even a glance. The young prince was still too stunned to speak when Mai turned to him. She wore a bright smile and showed no signs of the dark and dangerous girl that stood in front of him moments before. Mai threw her arms around him a in a tight hug and kissed his cheek.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed. Zuko stared over Mai's shoulder at his sister. She was still looking in the direction that Akira had disappeared and she wore a suspicious expression. When she looked back at Zuko and met his eyes, Zuko could feel his sister reading him like a scroll. _She knows Akira lied._ Zuko thought silently as he slowly returned Mai's tight hug.

It had been over two weeks and Akira and Zuko had barely exchanged more than a few words. Mai on the other hand had spent almost every waking moment with him. Zuko was even beginning to realize that he liked Mai a little. Zuko and Mai were pretty much considered a couple now and they had even shared several kisses already. _Except for none of them felt as perfect as the ones I've had with Akira…_ Zuko thought silently. He was still waiting for Akira to show him what she was planning to do, but so far she hadn't made any contact with him other than asking to borrow a pen in class. Zuko believed Akira when she told him that she loved him. He always would, but the fact that Akira hadn't even made an attempt to talk to him so far was starting to concern him. Zuko thought that she would have fun with it and make a game of sneaking off to see him behind Mai's back or something, but Akira had kept up on Mai's request to stay away from him. These thoughts ran through Zuko's head as he walked down the street on the way back from school alone. Mai had stayed after and by the time Zuko was ready to leave, all of his friends were gone. Zuko saw a girl father up the street and he realized that it was Akira. An idea slowly formed in his mind as he quickened his pace and kept her in sight. Suddenly Akira veered off to the right, away from the palace and Zuko watched her in confusion. _Where is she going?_ Akira walked quickly through the streets and Zuko realized that they were headed for the main gates. Akira snuck around the corner of a store and Zuko ran to catch up with her. He spotted her jump onto the back of a cart and sit behind one of the large pots. He followed her example and hid among the baskets on the second cart. They rode through the gates and Zuko saw Akira slip off the cart when they reached a grove of trees. He jumped down and slipped after his friend into the trees. Zuko stopped and hid behind a tree when he heard Akira's footsteps come to a halt. After a few more heartbeats, he peered around the tree to try and spot his friend. All he found was a line of bushes and saplings and Zuko's heart started to race. _Where is she?_ He finally found a small break in the dense plants and he looked through. Akira stood in a clearing beside a large clear pool of water that was shaded by a large willow. Her bag was cast to the side and her school shirt had been thrown on top of it. Akira now wore a short shirt that looked like it had been cut off around the stomach and sleeves. She stood straight and tall before taking a quick bow. Suddenly, her body started to move through the sets that Zuko had remembered teaching her and her eyes were narrowed and deep with concentration. Arcs and balls of fire burst from her hands, twirling around her and playfully licking the leaves of the trees and bushes. She finished the last kick with a satisfied smirk and immediately moved into the second set flawlessly. Zuko had to admit that he was impressed by how easy Akira made it look and the power that she used to control the size and shape of her flame. Soon a sly grin shaped the prince's lips and he shot a stream of fire next to Akira. She jumped back startled, but when she saw Zuko her eyes narrowed in concentration and Akira quickly retaliated with a powerful kick of heat. Zuko smirked and effortlessly kicked up a shield, protecting him from the oncoming storm. He shaped a fireball and carelessly tossed it at Akira and to his surprise she caught it and added a little bit of her own fire to it expanding it to nearly twice its original size. She threw it at Zuko and this time he punched it and the fireball exploded in their faces, showering both of them with sparks. The specks of fire tickled Zuko's skin and he watched Akira's face break into a smile.

"Hey Zuko." She greeted him softly. Zuko returned her smile and stepped closer.

"Hey…" He whispered. Zuko opened his arms and tried to give her a hug, but Akira ducked under his arm and pushed him aside. He whipped around, confused. Akira crossed her arms, cocked an eyebrow and looked at him playfully.

"Hey! No hugs if you're dating another girl Zuko." She scolded. Zuko studied her eyes for the joking sparkle that lit up when she was kidding around, but he saw the serious gleam instead. His smile faded and he dropped his arms and shoulders, obviously disappointed.

"But… I thought…" He started but Akira dropped her playful stance and looked away before he could finish his sentence.

"I know Zuko…" She explained softly. "I told you that I love you. And it's true… but you belong with Mai, so I decided that it's better if we are just friends."

"Oh okay… Thanks for telling me you decided that." Zuko shot back darkly. Akira looked up at him with large eyes, but Zuko didn't care. "You just thought that ignoring the fact that I like you more than Mai will just make it go away?! Well it doesn't work! Trust me…" He shouted. Akira's expression darkened and she started to walk past him, but Zuko grabbed her arm and pulled her back in front of him.

"Let go!" Akira commanded, trying to shake her arm free of Zuko's strong grip.

"Not until you promise to stay here." He growled. Akira shot him a glare and ripped her arm from his grasp, but she stayed where she was.

"What is there to talk about Zuko!? I thought we already went over this… Even if we are together for now in the end you'll be with Mai. I think it would be much easier if we just accepted that fact and moved on with our lives!" Akira explained hotly. Zuko looked away, realizing she was right. When he looked up again and met Akira's eyes, her icy glare had softened into an understanding gaze.

"I don't think I can lose you though…" Zuko whispered. Akira smiled sadly and gave him a quick hug.

"You don't have to…" She comforted. "I'll still be your friend no matter what." Akira stepped back and gave him a playful smile. "Just not when Mai's around." Zuko returned her grin and crossed his arms.

"Deal… Now let's see some more of your firebending."

A couple days later, Zuko shot one last grin at Akira before feeling Mai tug on his arm in the other direction. Mai had caught him talking to Akira and she hadn't exactly been thrilled, but Zuko didn't care. Testing Mai's patience had become a game over the past week and at times he felt guilty about it, but the prince's new form of entertainment was almost addicting. Zuko had always loved the thrill of doing things he wasn't supposed to and hanging out with Akira had become one of those things.

"Come on Zuko. This is the third time today I've caught you breaking your promise to stay away from Akira." Mai's harsh scolding voice brought Zuko back to reality.

"I'm sorry Mai. I'll try harder from now on; it's just that talking to her is kind of a habit." Zuko apologized to his girlfriend. He snuck a glance at her to see if she had believed him and Mai's content smirk lead him to believe that his lie had been successful. Zuko soon wore a smirk of his own and realized that even though he was starting to push Mai a little too far with his new game, he was just getting good at it.

"So Zuko…" Mai started as she grabbed his hand. "What were you and Akira talking about anyways?" She asked him sweetly. Zuko looked at her in surprise. For a heartbeat his mind froze for she had taken him completely off guard.

"What we were talking about?" He repeated the question to try and buy himself some time to think. Mai frowned and her high pitched sweet voice disappeared.

"Yes Zuko… What were you talking about?" She repeated. He quickly racked his brain for an answer, but all he could think about was talking to Akira earlier about firebending.

"School?" He quickly blurted. Zuko mentally smacked himself, but he didn't let his expression break. Mai raised an eyebrow but she didn't press further. They walked in silence the rest of the way to the palace and when they passed Mai's house, her goodbye kiss was short and unfeeling. When she was gone, Zuko felt an empty feeling in his core and he felt the guilt start to creep up his throat and leave it dry and tight. He stopped in the kitchen for a glass of water before he went to his room and the truth of his 'game' had started to sink in. _I'm probably hurting Mai by hanging out with Akira behind her back so much._ He thought regretfully. _I mean… it's not that I don't like Mai… She's great. But I just love spending time with Akira so much it's pretty much impossible to keep me from going behind her back…_ He tried to reason with himself. Zuko had reached his room and he flopped down on his bed with a sigh. _Oh Lou Ten… Now I understand your lecture you gave me about girls…_ He thought sadly as memories of the conversation between the cousins ran through his head again. A soft knock on his door woke Zuko from his thoughts and he sighed. _Now what?_

"Come in…" He called irritably. The door slowly opened and Akira slipped though. She quickly closed the door behind her and then turned to face Zuko. Her face was drained of color and she looked like she had just seen a ghost. Her hair was down and tangled and her arms hung limply at her sides. Zuko quickly sat up and when their eyes met, he saw that Akira's were wide with fear and sorrow. The deep amber swirled with pain and dismay and they were shiny with tears. Akira looked like she was refusing to let the tears fall and she leaned back against the door. She shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists tight. Zuko quickly got up and walked over to her.

"Akira?" He asked gently. She didn't move at first, but when Zuko reached out to touch her shoulder she flinched and her nose scrunched up in the beginning of a snarl. Zuko drew back his hand slightly but didn't break his concerned gaze. Suddenly, Akira's expression died and her eyes opened. This time they were hollow and emotionless and Zuko watched as she slowly moved her gave from the floor to his face. They stood for a few heartbeats in silence before Akira's lips parted a small slit.

"He's dead." She whispered softly. The emotion came back in an instant and Akira stepped into Zuko's arms. He felt her body shake against his own as sobs escaped her lips and tears fell down her cheeks. He held her smaller frame tight to his chest and buried his face deep into her soft hair.

"It's okay…" He whispered into her ear as he rubbed his thumb in small circles on her shoulder blade. "It's okay… I'm here for you... It's gonna be okay…" Slowly Akira's body started to stop shaking and Zuko felt his neck and shoulder soaked with her tears. With a deep shuddering breath, Akira stepped back and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered softly. A tear rolled down her already wet cheeks and fell to the floor.

"Shhh… it's okay." He soothed as Zuko ran his hands down her arms. He took her hands and led her over to his bed. They sat next to one another and Akira buried her head in his shoulder once again.

"Oh Zuko… He's gone…" She cried softly.

"Who?" Zuko asked as he ran his fingers through her hair, working through the knots and tangles.

"Dad…" She whispered. Zuko's heart skipped a beat and he pulled her close to him.

"Oh Akira…" He murmured deeply. "How?" He asked suddenly.

"The war. He was killed by a group of earthbenders who attacked his camp Zuko!" Akira replied through her tears. "And as if that's not bad enough… Ryu ran away to join the army to avenge dad's death! He's going to be killed as well…" Zuko's blood chilled as he imagined the sixteen year old trying to fight in the war. "My mom is so upset she refuses to do anything but sit in her bedroom and cry…" Akira continued sadly. Her own tears had finally stopped and she looked up at Zuko. "I needed someone…" She admitted softly. Zuko ran his hand up her neck and cupped the side of her face in his palm.

"I'll be there for you." Zuko whispered. "I'll always be there for you Akira." Akira gave him a smile and she pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you Zuko." She whispered in his ear. Zuko kissed the top of her head before releasing her. A loud knock on the door startled them both and caused them to jump away from each other. They waited for a moment in silence before the knock came again, this time more powerful and impatient.

"Zuko! Open the door. I know you're in there!" Mai's muffled voice called from the other side of the door. Zuko shot a worried look at Akira who seemed to understand his panic and jerked her head towards the door as if to say, _Do something!_ Zuko quickly called out,

"Uh, hang on a minute Mai!" He looked around desperately and Akira gave him a devilish grin. She stood in front of him and grabbed the bottom edge of his shirt. She pulled it over his head and watched in amusement as Zuko's expression turned from confusion to shock.

"What the hell?" He mouthed silently.

"Pretend you just got out of the shower or something…" Akira whispered in his ear. Zuko almost laughed out loud at her brilliant mind.

"Zuko!" Another call came from the door. Akira pushed the half naked Zuko towards the door and he shot her a glare. He quickly opened the door a slit, just enough for Mai to be able to see his head and bare shoulder.

"What?! I was just about to take a shower!" He snapped harshly. Mai's face turned bright red and she backed off.

"Oh… sorry. It's just Azula and Ty Lee wanted you to come down to the… actually. Never mind. Go take your shower and when you're done meet me in the training courtyard." She stammered, obviously still embarrassed by the thought of Zuko taking a shower. He rolled his eyes and almost laughed at his girlfriend's bright red cheeks.

"Sure. See ya later." He quickly closed the door and listened for Mai's footsteps to fade away before bursting out laughing. Suddenly his shirt hit him in the face and Zuko stopped laughing. He pulled his shirt back over his head and he looked at Akira. She sat on his bed with her knees pulled up close to her chest. A single tear slid down the side of her face and she rested her chin on her knees and Akira closed her eyes as if trying to cut herself off from the world around her. Zuko walked over and put his arm around her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair. She didn't make any acknowledgement of his presence and Zuko looked away sadly. He stood up and walked over to the window. He looked out and watched the puffinparrots chase each other around the garden below his window.

"Hey Zuko?" Akira's voice broke the silence. Zuko turned and looked at her over his shoulder. "What would happen to me if I was caught firebending?" She asked. Zuko narrowed his eyes and turned the rest of his body around. He leaned against the window sill and studied Akira a moment before answering.

"Well… I guess that would depend on what mood my father is in." He answered. Akira gave him a confused look and Zuko sighed before pushing himself up and walking over to her. "The normal punishment for keeping firebending a secret is a longer time of service in the military because if you just come clean with your firebending, you only have to serve a year in the military. If you're caught though… you have to serve longer. Now if you commit some crime with your bending, for example hurting someone… then you face time in jail. Or if the Firelord feels creative, you will receive some other sort of punishment." Zuko explained as he sat next to Akira on the bed. "In our case… I would get in serious trouble, but you would probably be required to serve a year or two in the military…." Zuko continued as his blood started to run cold. The thought of Akira being forced into the military was almost too much for him to bear… Akira looked down and Zuko could see a flash of fear light up her eyes. The pair sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts until Akira's voice broke the silence.

"Can we go train?" She asked. Zuko looked up and saw the determination in her eyes. "I need to blow of some of my anger…" He studied her for a moment more before nodding and standing up.


	6. Chapter 6

An hour later, Zuko and Akira stood in the middle of one of the unused courtyards and they exchanged punches and kicks. Akira threw a small fireball at Zuko who easily deflected it and kicked an arc at Akira. She split it in half with a kick and punched a series of fireballs back at Zuko. They continued their sparing unaware that three pairs of eyes watched their every move.

Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai watched Akira and Zuko practice their firebending and each one of them was intensely focused on something. Azula watched Akira with jealously as the girl moved through the sets quickly and flawlessly. Akira's eyes sparked with happiness and Azula despised her for it. _How could she be happy with something so simple?_ Azula wondered.

Ty Lee watched the way Akira and Zuko passed a stream of fire back and forth and swirled it around them. After that one would die out, each of the young firebenders would make a new one and they would continue their game without a pause. _They almost look like they're dancing._ Ty lee thought in amazement. She had never seen firebending used like this before. She had only seen it used as a weapon. _I wonder if I could use my skills for something other than battle?_ Ty Lee asked herself as she looked at her hands in wonder.

Mai watched as Zuko slid his hands down Akira's arms and side, positioning them into the next move. He stood close behind her and Mai was almost sure that their bodies were touching. _What does he think he's doing?_ She saw the obvious happiness on both their faces and when Zuko whispered something into Akira's ear and she blushed, Mai fingered her ready knife and debated sinking it deep into the other girl's chest. _I hate her…_ Mai thought as Akira gave Zuko a smile and he quickly returned it with a one of his rare genuine smiles that Mai almost never got.

Zuko looked up when he heard a sound from the far corner. He motioned for Akira to be quiet and he looked closer at the line of bushes at the far end of the courtyard. Suddenly he saw a flash of pink and red and his heart froze. _No…_ Zuko glanced back at Akira who was now practicing the move he had just taught her. Her eyes lit up when she finally perfected it and she looked at Zuko with an innocent smile. Zuko tried to return it, but he knew that it would never be the same now. They had been caught and to make the situation even worse, among the people who caught them was his sister. She would have no mercy and before the sun had set Zuko would bet his father would know about Akira's secret. Zuko was suddenly overcome with anger and he cursed his sister and her friends for spying on him and Akira. When he glanced back at the bushes Zuko started with surprise when his gold eyes met a pair of grey eyes peering through the bushes. _Mai…_ Zuko tried to tear his eyes away from the grey eyes that were full of betrayal, but he couldn't. _Fine you want to spy? I'll give you something that will make your efforts worthwhile._ Zuko thought as he returned his girlfriend's accusing glare. Zuko turned around and looked at Akira. She watched him closely and her expression changed from friendly to guarded.

"What's wrong Zuko?" She asked. Zuko took a couple steps towards his friend and her eyes narrowed, trying to read his intentions but she didn't back away. Their bodies were so close that they almost touched and Zuko could feel his heart pounding. He knew that what he was about to do would kill Mai inside, but she had already proved that she didn't trust him. She was even spying on him this very instant and because of this Zuko felt justified. With one last breath Zuko gathered his courage and he tipped his head down and met Akira's lips with his own. She started in surprise and tried to pull away at first, but he circled her waist with his arms and held her tight. Slowly Akira gave in and she slid her hands up around his neck. Zuko tasted her lips for a few more heart beats before releasing her. Akira looked up at him, her beautiful amber eyes wide with shock. Zuko longed to tell her that he loved her, kiss her, and hold her tight to his chest… but he didn't do any of these things. Mai was still in the back of his mind and he could see her hurt expression in his mind. Zuko looked away guiltily and Akira seemed to realize what was going through his mind. She slowly pulled her arms back from around his neck and stepped back.

"I'm sorry." Zuko whispered. He was apologizing for kissing her, for teaching her firebending, for the fact that she was now going to be forced into the army… for everything. Before Akira could answer, Azula stood up and clapped slowly.

"Beautiful performance you two." She congratulated dryly. Akira looked at the princess in surprise, but Zuko just sighed and slowly turned around.

He saw that Mai and Ty Lee stood behind his sister and Mai refused to meet his eyes. Ty Lee just looked shocked and Azula wore a triumphant smirk.

"I guess you caught me…" Akira sighed with a shrug. Zuko looked at her in surprise. _She doesn't sound surprised at all! Did she know we were being watched the entire time? _"I just didn't think you would catch on so soon." Akira continued. Zuko realized that Akira had known that they would eventually get caught since the beginning and he admired her courage. She was determined to learn as much firebending as possible before they sent her away to war.

"Mmm… I guess you underestimated me didn't you?" Azula asked. "Well, I have to admit that I was quite impressed with your bending though." Zuko looked at his sister in surprise. _Did she just give praise?_ He asked himself. "Therefore I've decided to give you a chance." Azula stated. Akira's eyes snapped open in surprise, but she stayed quiet and waited for the princess to continue her offer. "We will fight. Ty Lee, Mai, and I versus you and my worthless brother. If you win, I'll keep quiet. If I win, I will tell my father about your little secret." Akira nodded slowly taking the opportunity in.

"Okay. You have a deal." She flashed Zuko a glance to make sure that he would fight with her and all he could do was nod. She smirked and looked back at Azula. "What are the rules?"

"We may all use our specialized weapons, but no one is allowed to seriously injure others. Am I clear?" Azula asked them all. All of the kids nodded and she smiled. "Then let the games begin." Azula immediately kicked a powerful stream of fire at Akira and Akira rolled out of the way and shot a couple fireballs at the younger girl. Zuko saw a flash of pink come at him and he ducked Ty Lee's jabs. She hit him in the shoulder, but she missed his pressure point and Zuko just shook it off. He retaliated by sweeping her legs out from under her with a kick and Ty Lee fell to the ground. She landed on her butt and Zuko saw tears spring to the girl's eyes. He looked away and concentrated on Mai. She stood with a dart ready and her face was set in absolute determination. Zuko rushed at her and tried to dodge his girlfriend's tiny darts. One hit him in the arm and Zuko winced as his arm started to go numb. He tried to shake it off, but the tiny dart's poison had already infected him and soon he lost all feeling in his left arm. Zuko ignored his new handicap and when he reached Mai he twisted her around and pinned her to the wall. He held her right arm captive behind her while she struggled to twist back around, but Zuko held her tight.

"Let me go Zuko!" Mai hissed furiously, but Zuko just gritted his teeth and held on. Suddenly something jabbed him in shoulder again and Zuko twisted to try and stop his new attacker. Mai took the opportunity and slipped away from his hold on her arm. She reached around his upper body and Zuko felt her grab his shirt in her fist. She twisted him around and pushed him up against the wall. He hit the rock wall hard and the air rushed out of his lungs. Before he could take another breath, Ty Lee had taken Mai's place and jabbed him near the collar bone. Zuko's upper right shoulder finally went numb and he winced in pain. Mai grabbed his wrist and drove a knife through his sleeve. She preformed the same trick on his other hand and to his collar on either side of his neck. Finally Ty Lee stepped back and Mai stood in front of him. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and stood on her tiptoes so she was eye level with him. Her lips were only an inch from his own and Zuko could feel her hot breath on his lips. Her grey eyes were cold and narrowed as she glared at him. Zuko cringed and turned his head to the side in an attempt to escape the accusing glare.

"How could you Zuko?" Mai snarled to the side of his face. "I trusted you…" Zuko faced her, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Trusted me?" He shot back taking Mai by surprise. "You were spying on me!" He yelled. "And you expect me to think that you trusted me?" Mai's expression hardened and she adjusted her grip on his shirt. Zuko felt her sharp nails scratch his chest but he ignored the sting and held Mai's cold glare.

"And it was a good thing I was spying on you." She snapped. "After all… you did kiss her." Zuko held her glare for a moment more before looking away. His teeth were clenched in a snarl and Zuko squeezed his eyes shut. A shout of pain shattered his thoughts and Zuko looked up. He looked over Mai's shoulder and saw Akira laying on the ground holding her arm. Tears slid down her cheeks and she looked up at Azula who stood over the older girl. The princess's palms were still smoking and Azula stood in a threatening stance. Zuko watched in horror as his sister lit another flame and raised it above her head. He pushed against the wall with all his might but Mai's knives held him captive. Mai watched him and a smug smile shaped her lips. _She's enjoying this…_ Zuko thought painfully. _She's enjoying my torture._ Zuko watched helplessly as Azula's fire rained down on Akira. He froze as Akira's expression flashed from fear to determination and she produced a large shield to protect her. Akira quickly punched several powerful fireballs at the younger girl before the flames had even disappeared and Zuko watched as Azula desperately tried to block each of them. Akira continued her relentless attack on the princess by following through with a set that she and Zuko had just practiced the other day. She drove Azula back step by step, set by set. Azula was obviously tiring quickly and Akira's face was smudged with ash and burns, but she continued the storm without rest. Zuko was fascinated by the show before him, for he had never seen his sister lose a fight. She looked far from perfect now as she desperately tried to shield herself from each of Akira's well aimed attacks. Finally, one of the fireballs broke through Azula's defense and grazed her arm. Azula's eyes flashed and Akira stopped her assault. The princess looked at her arm in wonder and Zuko saw that she had a slight burn. Akira stared at the princess in confusion and waited for her to counter the attack but it never came. Instead the princess's lips slowly formed a smirk and she looked up at Akira.

"Well it looks like you just made a fatal mistake peasant." Azula stated looking at Akira with gold eyes that exhibited the princess's triumph. Akira's confusion turned to shock as she realized what she had just done.

"No…" Zuko saw her whisper. He shook his head in defeat. _She just burned the Fire Princess…_ Zuko thought in wonder. Akira was now on her knees pleading with Azula but Zuko knew it would make no difference. Azula had gotten what she wanted and now Akira faced a punishment much worse than the original. _Oh Agni… don't let Dad be too harsh…_

Akira sat silently in the jail cell and waited for the guards to come and drag her away. She hit herself in the head and silently cursed herself for being so reckless. _Stupid… I can't believe I was stupid enough to burn Azula…._ Somewhere in the back of her mind Akira knew that Azula could have easily blocked the fireball, but she chose not to. _I just hope Firelord Ozai is in a good mood today…_ Akira pleaded with the spirits. Suddenly the door opened and sunlight flooded the dark cell. Akira blinked, momentarily blinded by the light when a gruff voice called for her. Akira began to get up but a strong hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Akira was thrown forward into the arms of two more guards and they grabbed her upper arms roughly. Akira winced as they twisted her arms behind her and bound her wrists together.

"You do realize that I'm a thirteen year old girl who barely knows firebending?" Akira snapped at the masked guards.

"Silence." One of them ordered.

"I'll be quiet when you take your filthy hands off me." Akira muttered darkly. She winced as the guard on her left just held her arm tighter. Akira glared at him but he didn't make any acknowledgment of her. They dragged her through the palace and Akira was conscious of the sympathetic stares that the servants gave her as she passed. Akira tripped once and she fell forward. The guards just pulled her forward and dragged her until she recovered. Akira winced and longed for the pressure to be released from her arms. They finally came to a stop in front of the grand hall doors. At first Akira was confused. _Wait… I thought that we were going to the Firelord's chamber._ One of the guards opened the door and as it slowly swung open Akira saw Azula sitting in a chair at the front of the room. She had an evil smirk on her face and her arm was bandaged from where Akira had burned her. Mai and Ty Lee flanked the princess and they both looked away and refused to meet Akira's eyes. When Akira met Azula's gold eyes, chills went down her spine. Revenge sparkled in the princess's cold glare and Akira looked away. She felt the pressure on her arms again and she followed the guards to the middle of the room. Akira glanced around and saw that there were only a few people in the room. Ozai, Zuko, Iroh, and _was it? No… Mom…_ Akira saw tears rolling down her mother's cheeks and she forced herself to look away.

"Please stop mom… It will be okay." Akira whispered softly. Suddenly the pressure on her arms disappeared, but in its place the guards hands pressed hard on her shoulders and forced Akira to a kneel. Akira winced when her knees hit the hard floor, but she didn't cry out. Azula stood up and walked in front of her. Akira looked up and froze under Azula's cold, unfeeling gaze.

"This girl is here to be punished for harming a person of royalty." Azula stated in a clear and emotionless tone. "Is there anyone in this room who objects the punishment of this criminal?" She asked. Akira glanced around the room but no one raised their voice to object. She met Zuko's eyes and the gold swirled with fear for his friend. When Azula took another step forward Akira dragged her gaze away from Zuko and looked up again.

"Are you ready to take your punishment peasant?" Azula hissed so softly that only Akira could hear her. Akira closed her eyes and her lip curled in the beginning of a snarl. When she looked up again, all trace of fear was gone and Akira's eyes burned with hate.

"Do your worst." She growled defiantly. Azula's lips formed a small smirk and she backed away.

"The punishment of this individual will be given by myself." Azula announced proudly and Akira was vaguely away of Zuko's eyes snapping open in alarm. Akira ignored him and she glared back up at Azula. Azula looked at Akira casually and then began to study her long fingernails. They were painted a deep crimson and were sharpened to a point at the ends.

"Well? Are you going to actually punish me or are you going to just have me sit here all day?" Akira growled fiercely, her amber eyes narrowed and her white teeth clenched tight. Azula gave her a bored look before producing a flame in her fingertips.

"You want a punishment?" She asked coolly, her voice like liquid ice. "Here you go…" Azula rose the fire above her head and the flames rose high into the air. Akira's eyes widened as time stopped for a heartbeat. Suddenly Azula's hand started to drop and Akira turned her head to the side. She cringed and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the imminent pain to come.

Zuko wanted to look away but he was frozen to the spot. He watched in anguish as Azula's hand flashed through the air and met Akira's neck. Zuko saw Akira's eyes flash open and she reeled back from the princess's claws, but it only dragged Azula's claws deeper into her skin. A haunting cry of pain escaped Akira's lips and tears rolled down her face. All of her muscles flexed as the pain swept through Akira's body, but suddenly she hung loosely in defeat. The guards adjusted their grip on her arms, for they were now holding the girl up. Akira's expression was twisted in agony and her breath came in short gasps, but that was the only thing that proved she was still conscious. Azula stepped back, but Zuko couldn't drag his eyes away from the wound on Akira's neck. Her delicate tan skin was charred and blackened where the flames had hit. Deep gashes ran down the center of the burn and dark crimson blood flowed freely down her neck. Akira's eyes were now shut and her chest heaved up and down as she gasped for air. She finally snapped her teeth shut and snarled. Zuko watched in amazement as she picked her head up and opened her eyes. She glared at Azula with amber eyes that burned with a wild hatred and Zuko didn't even recognize his friend anymore. Akira's hair had come loose and it hung around her face like a curtain. Her body was once again tense with new energy and Akira defied the approaching unconsciousness from the shock her body had just received. Her shirt was torn and stained with her blood and Akira's teeth were clenched in a snarl. Azula was inspecting her fingernails again, watching Akira's blood drip from the tips. She said something to Akira who tried to lunge at the princess. The two guards jerked back on her arms and Akira let her head hang loose again in defeat. Zuko could see the energy slowly draining out of her as the blood pumped out of her neck in pulses and suddenly, he couldn't take it anymore. He tried to run to Akira, but a large guard caught him by his arm and pulled him back to the edge of the room.

"No! Akira! I need to help her!" He yelled at the guard as he twisted and tried to escape the large man's grip. Zuko was vaguely aware of tears rolling down his cheeks and blurring his vision, but he just blinked them away. Once the guard had finally wrestled the prince back to his spot Zuko felt a pair of smaller hands tug on his other arm and he looked back to see Mai holding onto his arm.

"Stop Zuko!" She pleaded. "You can't help her!" Zuko saw that Mai's grey eyes were wide with fright and he obeyed her. When he looked back out he saw that Akira was looking at him with large eyes. The amber swirled with pain and apology and Akira blinked once more before her energy finally gave out. Her face twisted once more in pain before her body went limp and she fell unconscious. Azula smirked and waved her hand to the guards who picked Akira up and carried her out the door. Zuko stared at the door and for a moment he tried to believe that this was just a horrible nightmare and that he was going to wake up any minute, but when Mai let go of his arm and stepped back he was thrown back into reality. Zuko looked around the room and saw Akira's mother in the corner crying while Iroh stood by her and was comforting her softly. Mai had joined Ty Lee and they sat in chairs, numb with shock. Ozai had disappeared and the guards had followed him. Azula sat in the chair at the head of the room and she was still studying her nails with an evil smirk. Zuko felt his anger start to boil in his core and with a shout he shot a powerful stream of fire in the direction of his sister. Azula jumped back, startled and she looked around quickly to see where the fire had come from.

"How could you?!" Zuko yelled at his sibling with another punch of fire. Azula finally caught on and she batted the line of fire away easily.

"What do you mean dear brother?" She asked innocently.

"You know what I mean!" Zuko growled. "Akira didn't burn you enough to receive that punishment!" He kicked an arc at his sister and Azula once again easily defended herself with some fire of her own. She quickly returned the heat by punching a powerful line of fire back at Zuko. He dodged it and soon the siblings were fighting with an intense purpose. Suddenly an enormous blast of fire broke the siblings apart and Iroh stood between them.

"Stop!" He commanded harshly. "If you can't get along than separate!" Azula rolled her eyes and strolled out of the room snapping her fingers for Ty Lee and Mai to follow. Zuko refused to look at anybody as he followed them out of the room. Once they got into the hallway, he turned sharply and ran to his room.

Zuko sat on his window sill, one knee held close to his chest, the other hanging loosely out of his window. He felt the hot ocean breeze tickle his face as he looked up at the stars. The moon rose high above the crater walls and he sighed softly. In only a couple of hours, his life had been torn apart and flipped upside-down. It seemed like weeks ago that he and Akira had talked about firebending in school. Even the news of General Keigo's death seemed long ago. Suddenly another wave of anger pulsed through Zuko's veins and he punched several fireballs into the night sky. In the last hour of confinement in his room, he had discovered that firebending not only was a release of his anger, but when he fueled it with his frustration and anger the fire held more power as well. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the images of Akira's burn, but it only intensified the memories. Zuko wondered when Akira would wake up and he longed to go see her. A lit window below him made Zuko look down and he saw Azula disappear through the servant's door. He narrowed his eyes and wondered what his sister was up to. He decided to investigate and he slipped out of his room and down the hallway. He wandered the palace, watching for any signs of Azula. Slowly he realized that his feet had taken him close to the doctor's wing and he stopped in shock. Azula had just come out of a room and she started in surprise when she saw Zuko. Instead of speaking to him she just turned the other direction and quickly disappeared down the hall. Zuko watched the spot where she had just vanished for a few more moments before taking a breath and knocking on the doctor's door. A short wiry man with a grey thin beard answered Zuko's knock and he slipped into the hallway quickly closing the door behind him.

"Let me see Akira. I want to see how she's recovering." Zuko demanded and the doctor's eyes widened.

"My prince… didn't you hear the news?" The man asked carefully. He seemed nervous and his eyes were full of pity for the boy before him. Zuko narrowed his eyes and watched the jumpy man shift his weight back and forth.

"No… what news?" Zuko asked, his suspicious glare obviously making the man even more distressed. "Why can't I go see Akira?" He demanded when the doctor paused, searching for words. Finally the man put a hand on Zuko's shoulder and squeezed it a little.

"Prince Zuko…" He began softly. "I'm sorry to report that the wounds were too much for her." Zuko felt his blood turn cold and he stared at the doctor with wide eyes.

"Wha… what do you mean?" He finally stammered. The doctor's eyes were deep with pity and he held on to the thirteen year old's shoulders.

"Son, Akira is dead." He confirmed Zuko's fear. Zuko stared at the man for a few more moments before he ripped himself from the comforting hands and ran. He didn't know where he was going, but he just had to get out of there. As Zuko ran, his blood pumped through his veins and his heart thumped loudly against his rib cage. He ran for the front door and burst through. The cool night air hit him and chilled his entire body. He felt hot tears run down his cheeks and burn his numb skin. He ignored the stares from the gate guards as he bolted past them. The prince kept running until he came to a well worn path into the woods where he turned sharply and continued to race up the path. Slowly the trail became steeper and steeper until Zuko had to start climbing up the rock. He scrambled up the wall until he could pull himself up to a small ledge. He took a couple gulps of air before reaching out up for the thick rope. He gripped it in his fists and stared out over the large gap between him and the other ledge. With a deep breath Zuko pushed himself into the air and he swung across to the next ledge. He quickly tied off the rope and he scaled the next set of steps. After several more swings he finally reached the top of the crater. With his last bit of energy, Zuko pulled himself up and over the edge. When he landed on the other side the cool scent of the ocean hit him and his heart started to slow. He sat and leaned against the rock, desperately trying to catch his breath. _ Son, Akira is dead._ The doctor's voice haunted his thoughts, mocked him. _It's not possible. _Zuko tried to believe, but he knew that it was just a lie to himself. Akira was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. The tears welled up behind his eyes again and Zuko tried to keep them from falling. He bit his lip and dug his nails into his palms, but a tear slipped anyways and soon Zuko gave up the fight. The prince hugged his knees close to his chest and let the pain slide down his face and soaked the tops of his knees. The salty tears stung a cut on his knee, but Zuko didn't even notice the pain. _Why did Akira have to die? Why did they take my best friend away from me?_ He asked no one in particular. Zuko sat in silence and grief overwhelmed him. He cried until there were no more tears to shed and then he watched the moon cross the sky until it disappeared behind the horizon. When Zuko saw the first colors of dawn light up the sky he sighed and decided to return to the palace. The young prince slowly made his way back down the crater's wall and made it back to the palace by midday. While climbing the set of stairs up to his room, Zuko heard someone call his name. A servant was waving her hand about and attempting to call him back down. Zuko was tempted to ignore her request, but the guilt got the better of him and he turned back down the stairs.

"Prince Zuko! The Firelord has requested your presence in his chamber. They have been looking for you all morning!" She informed him in a hurried manner. "Please go! And hurry!" Zuko sighed and changed his direction. When he entered his father's chamber several people were gathered around a table and the Firelord sat at the head. Zuko felt his father's disapproving glare, but walked to his place and sat down silently.

"Prince Zuko. Where have you been?" Firelord Ozai asked in an annoyed tone.

"Grieving the death of Akira sir." Zuko replied in a faraway voice. His mind was still clouded with memories and didn't notice Ozai's eyes flash in surprise.

"The death of Akira?" Ozai repeated. Finally, Zuko looked up and saw utter confusion in his father's golden eyes. Father and son stared at each other for a few more heartbeats before Ozai broke away and turned to his daughter.

"What do you know of this Azula?" He demanded. Azula's eyes widened for a heartbeat at her father's harsh tone but she quickly composed herself.

"The doctor reported that she had lost too much blood from her neck and he could do nothing to help her." Azula answered the Firelord's question. As Ozai continued to stare at his daughter in astonishment Zuko couldn't help but notice the amusement in Azula's glittering eyes. _How is it possible?_ Zuko wondered in shock. _She just killed someone… not just someone… she killed Akira. _Zuko's heart pounded as he began to realize how cold and unfeeling Azula was capable of being. As if she felt everyone's eyes on her Azula suddenly started to bite her bottom lip and look nervous. When Ozai looked at her in confusion she suddenly burst into tears.

"Oh Daddy!" She wailed pitifully. "I didn't mean to kill her I really didn't mean to! I just meant to burn her like she had done to me, but she moved and my nails cut her! It's not my fault… I never wanted her to die. I just wanted to punish her like you would have done." Ozai put a hand on his daughter's shoulder in an attempt to calm her.

"I know you didn't mean it Azula." He soothed in a low voice. Azula wiped her eyes on her sleeve and snuck a glance at Zuko. When the sibling's identical gold eyes met, Azula displayed her true emotions with a smug smirk. She quickly turned her head back towards Ozai and her smirk was replaced by large sad eyes. Zuko watched his sister's act through narrowed eyes and any love for his sibling vanished instantly. _She's faking! Azula doesn't have a single piece of sorrow for Akira. She's glad that she killed her…_ The fury welled up behind Zuko's narrowed glare and soon he felt himself blink away tears. Ozai saw the tears and he glared at his son.

"Why are you crying?" He snapped, taking a powerful stride in Zuko's direction. Zuko stepped back, surprised by his father's abruptness. Ozai grabbed his son by the shoulders and gave him a rough shake.

"Answer me! Why are you crying?" He commanded harshly. Zuko was still too stunned to speak and he was lost in the intense hate that his father's accusing glare possessed. When Zuko was shook again he finally managed to stammer out an answer.

"Azula's lying…. Even if Akira… If Akira hadn't moved. Azula would have cut her anyways… She meant to cut Akira…" The words tumbled out of Zuko's mouth before he could think twice and when he finally closed his mouth, tears of frustration and pure exhaustion rolled down his face. His energy was drained to the last drop and Zuko was finished both emotionally and physically. When Ozai pushed his son backwards, Zuko tripped over his own feet and landed on his back. Ozai effortlessly picked Zuko back up and violently shook him once again.

"No! Azula isn't lying. You are." Ozai berated his son. Zuko felt his head give another whiplash as Ozai shook his shoulders again and it only produced more tears. "Stop crying you worthless boy!" Ozai yelled. "You're not fit to be a prince if you cry at every little thing that happens to you! Now either stop it this instant or leave." Zuko took a deep breath and used the last bit of his mind power to control his tears. Ozai gave his son one last push before he collected himself and returned to his spot at the head of the table. Zuko bit his lip and silently sat down. He stared sightlessly in front of him and felt the bruises beginning to form on his shoulders. Tears welled up in his eyes once again but he was too frightened to let them fall. No one looked at him and Zuko didn't care. All he wanted was to be with his mother, Lou Ten, and, Akira again. They were the only ones who understood him and cared for him. They were the only shoulders he had to cry on in the world and now they had all been ripped away from him. _Why must I be forced to take this like an adult?_ Zuko wondered silently. _I'm only thirteen… What have I done to deserve this?_

Days and weeks slipped by and soon school came to an end. Zuko eventually moved back into a normal routine and religiously practiced his firebending every day. He and Mai slowly became on even terms once again, but Zuko's relationship with his father had almost become non-existent. Any words exchanged between the two were negative and Zuko now almost always had a mark to prove it. His only escape became his Uncle Iroh and climbing to the top of the crater. In this spot, Zuko would sit and watch the world go by while he remembered Akira. Day by day her death became real, though Zuko would still occasionally find himself walking to Akira's old room or expecting to see her at parties and dinners, slowly her absence became normal and Zuko would just be content to sit and watch to sun sink beneath the horizon with her memories.


	7. Epilogue

Azula watched the flame in her palm heat up and slowly transform from orange to a sickly bluish color. She snapped her fingers into a fist and the flame instantly died. The princess's fingers slowly uncurled and a new flame was born from her open palm. This flame was an ice blue that sent chills down Azula's spine as she stared into the strange and beautiful fire. It licked her fingertips and twisted like liquid heat in Azula's hands when she began to play with it. This new fire was a kind that even her father hadn't discovered, unique and unknown to others Azula's discovery presented her with an interesting opportunity. She had already proved her skills of manipulating her power as princess with the experiment of Akira… Now with this advanced technique of firebending soon Azula would begin reaching her goals. _First on the list is to get rid of Zuko…_ She thought silently. Getting her father to hate his son hadn't been very hard and Azula was quite pleased with the results that it had already produced. A branch snapped and Azula whipped several fire balls into the night air. A small bush caught on fire and a small foxwolf ran in terror. The princess cursed herself for being so jumpy but even several weeks after the incident with Akira she seemed to still be on her guard. _I must be insane to think that either the doctor or the guards would betray my secret…. Especially after the bonus of gold I gave them._ Azula thought to herself in an attempt to calm her nerves. _If word had gotten out that Akira hadn't died here… well I would know about it._ Azula looked out into the darkness and remembered her orders to the three men.

_"Doctor, if anyone asks you how Akira is; tell them that the wounds were too much for her and that she had lost too much blood to survive. Guards… Your job is to transport her body far into the Earth Kingdom and abandon her in an unpopulated area. If she wakes up on the ship ride over there it is fine… but when you drop her on land I want her unconscious. HOWEVER! Don't kill her. The forest will take care of that… No need for us to soil our hands with murder is there?" _Azula shook her head in amazement with herself. There weren't many eleven year olds that were capable of performing a murder that easily and come away completely clean. _I guess it just proves that I am the one that is meant to become Firelord after my father…_ Her lips curved into a smirk as Azula shot a stream of blue fire in front of her. But n_ow is not the time to be dwelling on the past… Now is the time to be planning for the future._

Akira slowly became conscious of cold wind chilling her body and soft, damp earth beneath her. She slowly flexed her fingers and they brushed against a layer of dead leaves. When a catowl screeched Akira slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on something. Blurry images of tall trees and a forest that was lit up by a full moon were transferred to Akira's brain and she instinctively thought that she had been dreaming. Suddenly the chilling call of the owlcat awakened her to full consciousness and Akira's eyes snapped open. She saw tall treetops above and felt the strange soft dirt beneath. Her body felt stiff and broken as she slowly tried to push herself up and when Akira attempted to move her head, her neck erupted in pain. She winced and gave up her struggles to get up with a forced sigh. Slowly, the thirteen year old managed to roll onto her back and she watched the treetops sway back and forth in the powerful gusts of cold wind. _Where am I? _Akira wondered silently as the chill set into her bones and stiffened her even further. Finally, Akira couldn't take it anymore and she slowly moved each of her limbs. With many waves of pain pulsing through her body, she managed to pull herself into a crouch and drag her damaged body over to a tree. After a minute of rest she pulled herself to her feet and stood by the tree. After a moment to gather her strength, Akira took a step and quickly stumbled over to another tree. She caught it's trunk with her hands and leaned against it for a few heartbeats. Suddenly she pushed off the strange bark and stumbled over to the next giant. Akira continued her struggle until she felt like her legs would give out any second. Falling to her knees in exhaustion, she dug her fingernails into the loose dirt floor. Akira had no idea where she was or how she had ended up here, but somehow all of the sounds and smells were strangely familiar. Suddenly the answer hit Akira and she looked around in shock. _The Earth Kingdom! I'm in the Earth Kingdom! _She realized. Memories of the forest by the colony where she had lived before rushed back and Akira felt a sense of security among the tall leafy trees and cool temperature. The feeling of safety was quickly replaced with confusion and fright. _How did I end up here?_ She racked her mind for answers, but all she could remember was waking up for a few hours in a cell at the bottom of a small boat. Suddenly an image of Azula consumed Akira's mind and she reeled back with a shout. When the image vanished and Akira caught her breath a voice whispered,

"Azula sent you here. _Azula sent you here…_" With a snarl, Akira squeezed her eyes shut and cursed Azula. _Is this part of my punishment? Banishment? Fine. I'll be better off here anyways… _A branch cracked in front of Akira and her eyes snapped open. The young firebender found herself staring at someone's feet and she pushed herself back with a yelp of surprise. When she looked up again, Akira's amber eyes met a pair of dark green eyes and she saw the latter pair of eyes widen as they saw the wound on her neck. A teenage boy who looked not much older than herself stared at Akira. His hookswords were drawn, but they hung harmlessly at his sides. His lighter brown hair was shaggy and uncut, but didn't come past his jaw line. Slowly, as if approaching an injured animal, he crouched next to Akira and looked into her eyes.

"Do you need any help?" He asked softly. Akira nodded slowly and she took his hand. The boy helped her to her feet and allowed her to hold onto his shoulder for support. He slipped his hand around her waist and guided Akira through the trees. "So what's your name?" He asked with a friendly smile.

"Akira." She replied softly, her voice cracked and hoarse. She was still weak from her injuries and this was the first time she had spoken in over a week. The boy gave a small laugh and his eyes sparkled with delight as he introduced himself.

"My name's Jet and don't worry. I'll take you back with me and you'll be better in no time." Akira sighed, content with the fact that someone would take care of her and slowly she started to drift off into unconsciousness again. Jet felt her start to depend on him for more support with each step and he eventually just scooped her up in his arms and continued through the trees. Akira wrapped her arms around his neck and felt her energy quickly fade away.

"Thank you Jet." She whispered softly before falling back into unconsciousness.

"You're welcome Akira." Jet replied softly as he held the limp girl tight to his chest and continued to walk towards his camp. "You're safe now…"


End file.
